UN slams government over critics

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the opposition CNRP and a US senator have all expressed concern over the government’s crackdown on critical media and an NGO. The government has in the past few weeks threatened to shut down the Cambodia Daily newspaper over unpaid taxes, kicked the National Democratic Institute out of the country and shut down radio stations renting airtime to Radio Free Asia and Voice of America.

Critics claim the crackdown is aimed at silencing critics ahead of next year’s national elections, while the government maintains that it is simply strengthening the rule of law and implementing newly passed amendments. “We are concerned by the rapid series of ministerial and administrative measures which have resulted in the suspension of radio programs and licences, threatened a  English-language newspaper with closure, and shut down a foreign non-governmental organisation,” OHCHR spokeswoman Liz Throssell said on Friday.

“Ahead of next year’s general election, we call on the government to guarantee full political and civil rights and media freedoms.” Ms Throssell said she had noted that organisations working on human rights or election issues were the ones being targeted.

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