Activist in Prison/Image: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP
In a resolution passed on Friday in Brussels, European Parliament calls
the Cambodian government to respect human rights. The Parliament also
condemns the sentence of 1 October 2012 against Mam Sonando and the
sentence of 24 May 2012 against 13 women and urges the government to
start a transparent investigation over Chut Wutty's death.
Mam Sonando, the owner of Beehive Radio, and longstanding critic of
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and his rule was convicted to 20 years
of prison because he instigated an 'insurrection' in Kratie province.
The insurrection in Kratie province was actually a protest against
country’s controversial land concessions policy. During the protests a
14-year-old girl, Heng Chantha, was shot dead by military authorities.
On April 26 2012, Chut Wutty an environmental activist was shot dead by
the Cambodian military police because he was collecting data on illegal
logging activities. Until now the circumstances of his death remain
unclear. In Parallel, 13 women were sentenced to two-and-a-half years in
prisonfor participating in an anti-evictions campaign demanding proper
resettlement for displaced people. More specifically, the Cambodian
government has granted 200 companies with economic land concessions, as a
result many indigenous communities were forced to leave their land.
The resolution condemns the harassments, the killings and the
prosecutions of human rights defenders in Cambodia. Moreover, calls the
Cambodian authorities to halt land concessions and to reforms release
political activists. These will affect EU-Cambodia commercial and
political relations. Finally, the resolution due the national elections
in July, urges the Cambodian government to adopt democratic electoral
reforms proposed by the UN.
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