Cambodia: arbitrary arrest - judicial proceedings - arrest warrants

Case KHM 201005

Arbitrary arrest / Judicial proceedings / Arrest warrants


The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Cambodia.

Brief description of the situation:

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) of the arrest of Mr. Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA), following a statement he made criticizing the government’s border policy.

According to the information received, on October 15, 2005, Mr. Rong Chhun was arrested at Poi Pet Checkpoint, Banteay Meancheay Province at 3 pm, brought to Phnom Penh Municipal Court and charged with “defamation against the Prime Minister”, and “inciting others to commit a crime”. The charges against him were based on a statement made by him and three others on October 11, 2005, pertaining to the signature of a border agreement concluded between the Prime Minister and Vietnam’s Prime Minister on the next day.

Mr. Chhun is currently detained in Prey Sor Prison and reportedly has not eaten since being arrested for fear of being poisoned. OMCT recalls that Mr. Chhun has several times been harassed in the past because of his trade union activities.

Moreover, arrest warrants were allegedly issued on the same grounds against Mr. Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), Mr. Man Nath, President of the Cambodian Independent Civil Servant Association, and Mr. Ear Channa, Deputy Secretary General of the Student Movement for Democracy. These three people are currently hiding themselves.

Mr. Rong Chhun, Mr. Chea Mony, Mr. Man Nath, and Mr. Ear Channa, are all members of the “Cambodia Watchdog Council” that monitors government activities.

OMCT expresses its deep concern about the fact that freedom of expression of trade union leaders is largely circumscribed in Cambodia. The very hostile climate trade unionists have endured in Cambodia since the beginning of 2004, including the unresolved murder of two prominent trade union leaders, Mr. Chea Vichea, the late President of FTUWKC, and Mr. Ros Sovannareth, president of the Trinonga Komara Garment Union and a member of the FTUWKC steering committee.

Action requested:

Please write to the authorities of Cambodia urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Rong Chhun, Mr. Chea Mony, Mr. Man Nath, and Mr. Ear Channa;
ii. order the immediate release of Mr. Rong Chhun, Mr. Chea Mony, Mr. Man Nath and Mr. Ear Channa in the absence of valid legal charges, and if such charges exist, to ensure that he is given a prompt and fair trial, in which his procedural rights are guaranteed at all times;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with international human rights standards.

Addresses:

• Mr. Hun Sen, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: +855 23 36 06 66 / 855 23 88 06 24 (c/o Council of Ministers), Email: leewood_phu@nida.gov.kh
  
  
• Mr. Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-Minister of Interior, Ministry of Interior, 275 Norodom Blvd, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: + 855 23 21 27 08
  
  
• Mr. Hor Nam Hong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, 161 Preah Sisowath Quay, cnr rue 204, Phnom Penh ; Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: + 855 23 21 61 44 / + 855 23 21 61 42
  
  
• Mr. Om Yentieng, Minister & President of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee, Office of the Prime Minister, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: +855 12 81 37 81 / +855 23 21 11 62 or +855 23 88 10 45 (c/o Council of Ministers)
  
  
• Mr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, Fax: + 855 23 88 06 24, Email: leewood_phu@nida.gov.kh
  
  
• Ambassador Mr. Vun Chheang, Permanent Mission of Cambodia to the United Nations in Geneva, Chemin de Taverney 3, Case postale 213, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland, Fax: + 41 22 788 77 74

Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Cambodia in your respective countries.

Geneva, October 20, 2005

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.