The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence comment on Cambodia
“UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today urged the Cambodian Government to act swiftly to enable and protect a conducive environment for a free and fair general election next month, saying he was deeply concerned by the curtailing of civic space ahead of the poll” he said.
“He says ahead of the election, there must be an open and pluralistic environment that guarantees the rights to freedom of expression and opinion, and freedom of assembly and association. These elements lie at the core of open and free societies as envisaged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said,” Jeremy Laurence stated.
The National Election Commission (NEC) earlier this year disqualified the Candlelight Party (CLP) and Khmer United Great Nation Party from running for election while long prison sentences had been handed down against other opposition figures. Under international law, all citizens have an equal right to stand for election, a right that may only be subjected to restrictions that are objective, reasonable, and non-discriminatory.
Heavy fines have been imposed on other political actors, such as Son Chhay the Vice-President of CLP, who was ordered to pay over USD one million in fines and compensation to the National Election Committee (NEC) and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party for defamation.
“And this week, the Prime Minister said the Government would amend the election law to bar anyone who boycotts the vote, or encourages others to do so, from running as a candidate in future elections. Such an amendment, if enacted, would constitute an overbroad restriction on the right to freedom of expression and a breach of the right of all citizens to stand for election, guaranteed by the Constitution of Cambodia and international human rights instruments” he said.
“Human rights defenders, trade unionists and political activists reportedly face legal sanctions for having exercised their rights to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly or association protected by international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by Cambodia in 1992” Jeremy Laurence said.
Jeremy Laurence quoted the High Commissioner and said that “the Paris Peace Agreement and international human rights treaties are the guarantors of peace, prosperity and a better future for Cambodia”.
“I urge Cambodia’s leadership to change course now to enable a vibrant civil society, a space for open debate and respect for human rights.”
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence + +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or
Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
- Exterior shots: Palais Wilson
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today urged the Cambodian Government to act swiftly to enable and protect a conducive environment for a free and fair general election next month, saying he was deeply concerned by the curtailing of civic space ahead of the poll”.
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “He says ahead of the election, there must be an open and pluralistic environment that guarantees the rights to freedom of expression and opinion, and freedom of assembly and association. These elements lie at the core of open and free societies as envisaged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,”
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “And this week, the Prime Minister said the Government would amend the election law to bar anyone who boycotts the vote, or encourages others to do so, from running as a candidate in future elections. Such an amendment, if enacted, would constitute an overbroad restriction on the right to freedom of expression and a breach of the right of all citizens to stand for election, guaranteed by the Constitution of Cambodia and international human rights instruments”.
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights defenders, trade unionists and political activists reportedly face legal sanctions for having exercised their rights to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly or association protected by international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by Cambodia in 1992”.
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): the Paris Peace Agreement and international human rights treaties are the guarantors of peace, prosperity and a better future for Cambodia. I urge Cambodia’s leadership to change course now to enable a vibrant civil society, a space for open debate and respect for human rights.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN Security Council meets amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the biweekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson made the following remarks deplored the death in State custody of Brooklyn Rivera in Nicaragua.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Lebanon: Tyre hospital strikes leave patients without critical care – WHO
The UN health agency in Lebanon is verifying reports of strikes on a hospital in the southern city of Tyre on Monday, amid a concerning rise in attacks on healthcare in the country.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNICEF , UNCTAD , UNFPA , WHO , WFP , IOM , OHCHR , UNHCR
UNICEF: Impact of the US-Israel-Iran escalation on supply operations; UNCTAD: Strait of Hormuz Economic impacts of disruptions; UNFPA: Urgent need for protection of maternal health for women and girls in Sudan and Lebanon; WHO: Restoration of vital health-care services in Lebanon urgently needs sustained ceasefire and peace; WFP: Global funding shortfall; IOM: Cross-border Ebola Response in the DRC; OHCHR: Nicaragua death in custody, Specialised judicial units in Haiti; UNHCR: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
El Niño confirmed, extreme weather events will be more intense, says WMO
The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Niño, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” and fuel more extreme weather.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘A disease you get when you care for someone’: on the frontlines of the Ebola crisis with WHO
Two weeks into the latest Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) is estimating that there are 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including 223 suspected deaths.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on 29 May called for more robust measures by both states and tech companies to make online platforms safer for children, insisting on effective regulation, oversight and accountability. The digital world that connects children to learning, community and creativity also expose them to real risks, to their safety, to their privacy, and to their well-being. Online harms to kids’ safety, privacy, and well-being are not innate or inevitable.
See High Commissioner video: https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d357/d3579089
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ILO , WFP , WHO , UNICEF
UN Geneva press briefing chaired by Rolando Gómez, Chief, Press and External Relations Section, UN Information Service, with the participation of representatives of the WHO, UNICEF, WFP and ILO.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
Peggy Hicks, Director of Thematic and Special Procedures Division, speaks.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , WHO
Gaza: Life-saving medicines blocked as killing continues, disease gains ground
In Gaza, a dire humanitarian situation marked by continuing violence, rodent infestations and the spread of diseases is being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, warned against the continuing trend of involuntary returns of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers from host countries to Afghanistan, in violation of international human rights and refugee law, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG , WHO , UNRWA , UNHCR , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , IFRC , WMO
UN Geneva press briefing chaired by Rolando Gómez, Chief, Press and External Relations Section, UN Information Service, with the participation of representatives of the WHO, UNRWA, UNHCR, OHCHR, UN Women, IFRC and the WMO.