Sunday, 26 December 2010
Brooke Lewis
The Phnom Penh Post
Cambodian democracy has been eroded by a systematic campaign of government intimidation and prosecution of citizens and activists exercising their right to freedom of expression, according to a report released by the rights group Licadho on Saturday.
The report, titled Freedom of Expression in Cambodia: The Illusion of Democracy, outlines nearly 50 case studies from April 1 to September 30 that the authors claim involve “violations of expressive rights”.
“There is nothing particularly unusual about this six-month period – there were no elections, armed conflicts or national emergencies. Rather, we believed that focusing on a short period would illustrate the magnitude of Cambodia’s freedom of expression problem,” the report says.
The report details numerous high-profile cases, including government threats to expel from the country foreign diplomats and United Nations officials and the prosecution of several opposition party members.
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