Members of parliament from around Southeast Asia expressed grave concern on Thursday about the human rights situation in Cambodia, as the government cracks down on independent media outlets and civil society organisations.
“This crackdown is a dramatic escalation of the government’s moves against critical, independent voices and is deeply concerning for the fate of Cambodian democracy, particularly with national elections less than a year away,” said Malaysian lawmaker Charles Santiago, chairperson of Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights.
“For years now, Cambodia has been defined by a climate of fear, instilled by the ruling party as a tactic for remaining in power. But what has occurred in recent weeks is a legal assault on civic space unlike anything we’ve seen since the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1991,” he added.
The statement came less than two weeks after Cambodia decided to take action against some media outlets and close the local office of the US government funded National Democratic Institute – expelling its foreign staff and claiming it was helping the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.
