Cambodia police continue arrests of human rights activists News
Cambodia police continue arrests of human rights activists

[JURIST] Cambodian police Wednesday arrested the vice-director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) [advocacy website] after arresting the president of the group [BBC report] and a CCHR lawyer last weekend. No charges have been filed in the latest arrest, though the police charged the president with defamation in connection with a banner he held at a rally last month that accused Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen [BBC profile] of being a communist and a traitor. A US Department of State [official website] spokesperson has condemned the arrests [press briefing transcript], saying "this is the latest in a series of arrests and lawsuits targeting critics of the Cambodian government and the cumulative effect of which is to call into question the Cambodian government's commitment to democracy and human rights." Last month, the UN envoy to Cambodia [JURIST news archive] criticized [JURIST report] the country's human rights record and called for the UN to persuade the government to comply with UN standards [UN human rights website]. Reuters has more.