August 3, 2020 – We, the undersigned civil society groups, strongly condemn the nighttime arrest of Rong Chhun and call on the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to immediately drop all charges against the union leader and release him from pre-trial detention.
Cambodian Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun was arrested by police at his home late on Friday night after the government’s Cambodia Border Affairs Committee publicly called on authorities to take action against the unionist for his comments following a visit to the Cambodia-Vietnam border on July 20. Chhun – a member of the non-governmental Cambodia Watchdog Council – had given a radio interview just hours before his arrest denying that he had been spreading false information about alleged community land loss along the border in a public statement the week before.
Chhun was taken to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday morning and charged with “incitement to commit a felony or cause social unrest” under articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code before being sent to pre-trial detention in Phnom Penh’s notoriously overcrowded Correctional Centre 1. Dozens of supporters gathered outside the court all through the weekend to call for the unionist’s release despite security forces ordering them to disperse.
This charge – which could see Rong Chhun sentenced to up to two years in prison – is a clear violation of the unionist’s right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Cambodia’s constitution.
Rong Chhun has been an outspoken advocate for workers’ rights in Cambodia for decades, having previously worked as president of the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association before becoming a member of the country’s National Election Committee.
On Wednesday, the union leader joined a group of more than 200 garment workers who gathered to submit a petition outside the home of Prime Minister Hun Sen to ask for his help following their factory’s closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is not the first time that Rong Chhun has been arrested for his activism. In October 2005, the unionist spent three months in prison on charges of defamation and incitement after being arrested for comments he had made about a Vietnam-Cambodia border agreement.
In January 2014, he was arrested again alongside ten other human rights defenders while publicly calling for the release of almost two dozen demonstrators arrested during the widespread protests that followed the 2013 national election.
After more than a decade of harassment by authorities, this latest arrest of a respected union leader is a direct threat to every Cambodian who exercises their constitutional right to freely express their beliefs without having to fear a midnight visit by police and years lost in prison. We call on the government and the court to uphold their obligations to guarantee freedom of expression under the constitution and international law and immediately drop all charges and release Rong Chhun.
ការចាប់ខ្លួនរបស់លោករ៉ុងឈុនគឺការបិទសិទ្ធិសេរីភាពក្នុងករបញ្ចេញមតិ បិទសិទ្ធិក្នុងជួបប្រជុំ និងបង្ហាញអោយឃើញពីការរើសអើងសហជីពផងដែរ ។ ជាពិសេសបង្ហាញអោយឃើញប្រជាធិតេយ្យនៅកម្ពុជាត្រូវបានដើរថយក្រោយ និងមិនបានយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ពីសុខទុកដល់បងប្អូនកម្មករនិយោជិតនៅអំឡុងពេលផ្ទុះកូវិដ-19 នេះ បន្ថែមពីនេះទៀតជាការបំបាក់ស្មារតីដល់ថ្នាក់ដឹកនាំ សកម្មជនផ្សេងៗទៀតកុំអោយហ៊ានចេញមកតវ៉ារាល់សកម្មភាពផ្សេងៗទៀត។