AFP
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has banned a public rally to mark International Women’s Day, organisers have said, amid growing concern about a crackdown on freedom of expression in the country.
Phnom Penh municipal authorities rejected a request by trade unions and non-governmental organisations to mark the day’s 100th anniversary with a large gathering in the capital, the Cambodian Women’s Movement Organisation said.
No reason was given for the refusal, organisers said.
“It’s a sad commentary on the current state of human rights in Cambodia,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“It says that the government is not committed to permitting a free exercise of the right to associate and the right to assemble. Women have to organise to assert their rights in countries like Cambodia,” he told AFP.
Cambodian Women’s Movement Organisation president Meas Morokot said the decision to ban the public event was “regrettable”.
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