Official announcement for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Cambodia

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC)

Hearing Announcement:

Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Cambodia
1-3 p.m.
Thursday, September 10
2200 Rayburn HOB

On July 29, The Washington Post reported “a heightened crackdown on journalists and opposition activists…has provoked new concern that the government [of Cambodia] is engaging in widespread abuse of the nation’s legal system to muzzle its detractors.” On August 4, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found opposition parliamentarian Mu Sochua guilty of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen.

According to the 2008 State Department Human Rights report, current labor law in Cambodia provides only private-sector workers the right to join a trade union without prior authorization, but the government’s enforcement of the law has been selective. Additionally, despite the 2001 law requiring land titling for communal lands of indigenous peoples, little was done to implement this law and there have been several reported incidences of indigenous peoples being forced to leave their land without compensation. These issues are part of a concerning trend in the Cambodian government’s overall human rights record.
To discuss these issues, we will welcome as our witnesses:***

• Mu Sochua, member of Parliament, Sam Rainsy Party
• Pung Kek, founder, LICADHO
• Moeun Tola, head of labor program, Community Legal Education Center
• Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director, Human Rights Watch

***Witness list subject to change.

If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Hoffman (Rep. Wolf) or Hans Hogrefe (Rep. McGovern) at 202-225-3599.

Frank R. Wolf, M.C.
Co-Chairman, TLHRC

James P. McGovern, M.C.
Co-Chairman, TLHRC

The Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights
House Committee on Foreign Affairs