១៥ កុម្ភៈ ២០២៣ / 15 February 2023 - See below letter in English.
ខាងក្រោមនេះគឺជា លិខិតលោក សម រង្ស៊ី ផ្ញើជូនលោក Frank-Walter Steinmeier ប្រធានាធិបតី ប្រទេសអាល្លឺម៉ង់ ដែលកំពុងធ្វើទស្សនកិច្ចផ្លូវការ នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា។ ក្នុងលិខិតនេះ លោក សម រង្ស៊ី ស្នើសុំឲ្យរដ្ឋាភិបាលប្រទេសអាល្លឺម៉ង់ ចាប់អារម្មណ៍ពីស្ថានការណ៍សិទ្ធិមនុស្សដ៏ដុនដាប នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ហើយពីការគាបសង្កត់ពីរបបលោក ហ៊ុន សែន មកលើគណបក្សប្រឆាំង និងសង្គមស៊ីវិល ដូចការបិទវិទ្យុសំឡេងប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ (VOD) ជាសក្ខីកម្មក្រោយគេបំផុត។
To Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
President of the Federal Republic of Germany
February 14, 2023
Dear Mr. President,
It is deeply unfortunate that your current visit to Cambodia directly follows a fresh assault on the remaining vestiges of freedom of information in the country. The Voice of Democracy (VOD) media outlet, which published in Khmer and English, on February 13 saw its license arbitrarily revoked by Prime Minister Hun Sen. VOD is run by the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), which has funding from Western embassies, and press freedom groups including Reporters Without Borders and Transparency International.
The VOD article which triggered the decision simply reported the words of a government spokesman that Hun Sen’s son Hun Manet had signed an authorization for aid to earthquake-stricken Turkey in his father’s absence. There was no semblance of due process or independent review of the article in question. A public demand for an apology by Hun Sen was followed by an announcement on his Facebook page that the license was being withdrawn.
The decision means that substantially all of Cambodia’s Khmer and English language media are under government control ahead of national elections scheduled for July 2023. This is clearly not an environment conducive to free and fair elections, as required by the Paris Peace Agreements of 1991 to which Germany is a signatory. The VOD decision comes in the context of continued harassment, violent intimidation and wrongful imprisonment of supporters of the opposition, or anyone at all who questions any decision taken by Hun Sen.
I am the co-founder of the main peaceful opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). Despite systematic electoral irregularities, the party scored 44% of the vote in both the last national and the last local elections in which it was allowed to compete, in 2013 and 2017 respectively. The CNRP was dissolved by the politically controlled supreme court in 2017, and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party won every single seat in the sham national election of 2018.There can be no pretence that the national election in July 2023 will be free and fair if the CNRP is not reinstated and allowed to put forward whatever candidates it chooses. The EU must consider withdrawing further trade privileges under the Everything But Arms (EBA) framework if the CNRP cannot freely stand in an environment free of intimidation and censorship.
Rights to freedom of information and expression form part of The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Cambodia is a signatory. They are also enshrined in Cambodia’s constitution. Protection of these rights is an essential step if there is ever to be a meaningful election in Cambodia. We hope that you will take the opportunity of your visit to insist that the VOD license is immediately restored. If this is not forthcoming we would respectfully request you to cut short your visit to Cambodia to highlight the gravity of this development.
Sincerely and respectfully yours,
Sam Rainsy
Khmer
English
French
