Rights Day events in capital violence-free

Civil society organizations, unions and citizens celebrated Human Rights Day in Phnom Penh on the weekend, but were not permitted to march through the streets and many opted to hold their celebrations in Freedom Park. On Saturday, Yang Kim Eng, the chairman of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), spoke to more than 1,000 people at Freedom Park about the human rights situation in Cambodia.
 

He talked about the murder of prominent social commentator Kem Ley as well as attacks on land rights protesters, environmental activists and the imprisonment of human rights officials. “Freedom of expression is the content and core of a democratic society,” he said. “The development that cuts off freedom of expression is meaningless development for the people because the development was made without responding to the real needs of citizens.”
 

He said that a number of new laws passed this year were intended to stifle dissent, criminalize protests and narrow the space for civil society in the country.   Government officials took the opposite view, highlighting progress the country has made in comparison with other countries.