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January 10, 2022 - After 15 months in a 17 square metre prison cell shared with 20 other detainees, prominent union trade leader Rong Chhun was released.
Arrested for incitement due to his involvement in the labour movement and protesting land grabbing, the Cambodian Confederation of Unions President may have left prison but the experience has not left him.
“Basic human rights and freedoms in Cambodia are really restricted. People like us find it difficult to exercise our fundamental freedoms,” Mr Chhun, who was arrested in July 2020, shared.
Cambodian Confederation of Unions President Rong Chhung.
He was one of a small number of human rights defenders targeted by the law who met with both the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia Vitit Muntarbhorn and UN Human Rights Cambodia Country Representative Pradeep Wagle during several meetings last month.
Mr Chhun and others also shared that while they were now released, and had received support from various quarters advocated for better conditions and for their release, restrictions remained with a number of human rights defenders facing judicial supervision terms of several years.
“We have all been released but we are not living in full freedom. It’s like they have installed a fishing net in order to catch us, if we do anything beyond the conditions set out by the court we’ll be re-arrested.”
Another human rights defender who has also faced more than a year in prison Khmer is Eng Malai, who was arrested on her way from leaving the UN Human Rights Cambodia office in September 2020. There was huge prison overcrowding, lack of medical care and even labour exploitation with some prisoners forced to sew clothes, she said.
“Prisoners find it difficult to live. They have this stress that accumulates day by day.”
Human rights defender Eng Malai, during a meeting with UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia Vitit Muntarbhorn and UN Human Rights Country Representative Pradeep Wagle.
She herself had brushed up against problems by advocating for prisoners’ rights and sharing information on conditions outside, she said.
Special Rapporteur Professor Muntarbhorn told the human rights defenders he was strongly advocating at the highest levels for greater political and civic space.
“That will hopefully open the door to more freedoms, but ultimately hopefully it leads to dropping the charges against you and other human rights defenders,” he said.
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia Vitit Muntarbhorn during a meeting with a group of human rights defenders.
Professor Muntarbhorn said he had listened with interest and concern to the experiences of those gathered and was already advocating on many topics raised, such as prison reform, but would take concerns raised forward in discussion with authorities.
“We also advocate very strongly for the need for judicial reform as well as electoral reform in addition to better protection for human rights defenders and political activists. Criminal charges against the various human rights defenders should also be dropped.”
For his part, Country Representative Mr Wagle said the Cambodia office was monitoring developments in civic space and providing technical support to the government to help implement improved human rights. He left the group with two messages:
“Human rights activism should not be the subject matter of criminal law…we need to keep working and doing human rights activism. Unless we keep doing that there will be no changes.
“We need to work together. We need to build partnerships…let’s see how we can improve the human rights situation.”
UN Human Rights Cambodia Country Representative Pradeep Wagle during a meeting with a number of human rights defenders.
