Washington, DC – IRI issued the following statement on the arrests of Kem Sokha, President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), and Yeng Virak, Director of the Community Legal Education Center. For more information on the arrests please see the CCHR report on the arrests.
“These arrests are another example of the deteriorating human rights situation inside Cambodia under the repressive rule of the Hun Sen government. In the past year, several critics of the government have been jailed or forced to flee the country including Mom Sonando, operator of one of the few remaining independent radio stations; Cheam Channy, member of parliament; and Sam Rainsy, leader of the opposition party in parliament.
“Asian counties have increasingly shown themselves to be concerned with the situation in Burma; now is a time when they should be concerned with the deteriorating situation in Cambodia. The international community must make it clear to Hun Sen that this action and such human rights abuses cannot continue. He must release all political prisoners and allow his fellow citizens to live in a free, democratic Cambodia.”
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