UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Tom Andrews, Oral Presentation

It is an honor to address this Human Rights Council as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia.

I would like to begin by thanking the Royal Government of Cambodia for its cooperation, including with my mission in July during which I had the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister, Senate President, and officials from several ministries. Conversations with these officials were respectful, constructive and illuminating.

I also had the opportunity to meet with opposition political figures, human rights defenders, environmental activists, representatives of civil society organizations, journalists, and humanitarian workers among many others.

They described a very difficult and challenging environment and how the government has used judicial and administrative processes to target activists, civil society organizations, labor unions and independent media. They told me that authorities have arbitrarily applied laws including the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO), to curtail work on human rights, the environment and other important issues. They said that fear of criminalization and reprisal has led to widespread self-censorship in Cambodia.

To the government’s credit, I was given unfettered access to the country, including prisons. There I found overcrowded conditions and met with detainees who had been convicted of exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association or assembly. Some of them had been placed in maximum security cell blocks.

I expressed my grave concern to government officials. They responded by telling me that these convictions were consistent with Cambodian law. Yet penal code provisions, including those used to imprison many of those with whom I met, are in fact incompatible with international human rights law. I learned that defendants have frequently been convicted despite no evidence being presented in relation to key elements of their alleged crimes.

I have begun to examine cases of alleged arbitrary arrest and detention in Cambodia and believe there are likely more than 100 individuals who have been unjustly detained for their exercise of fundamental freedoms. Credible reports indicate that the number of people detained on these grounds has roughly tripled since the beginning of 2024.

This should be of concern to all of the members of this Human Rights Council.

I also learned on my mission, however, about the significant progress that Cambodia has made in improving the everyday lives of its citizens. This progress is highlighted by sharp reductions in poverty and child mortality and significant improvements in life expectancy, educational enrollment and access to electricity, water and sanitation.

These are notable achievements.

But Cambodia also faces significant economic challenges, from the need for greater foreign direct investment, to the crushing debt faced by growing numbers of families who have fallen victim to predatory micro-lending schemes and to the economic impact of the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.

During my mission I travelled to areas impacted by that conflict, which has affected the human rights of civilian populations on both sides of the border.

Approximately 650,000 Cambodians and 400,000 Thai people were reportedly displaced by fighting at the height of the conflict, according to figures from the respective governments. More than 18,000 Cambodian civilians remain displaced. Robust border trade that enhanced the economies on both sides of the border has shut down, impacting untold numbers of businesses, workers and families.

The importance of resolving the border conflict swiftly and peacefully cannot be overstated. Affected communities need to be able to return to their homes, enjoy a stable and secure environment, and resume livelihoods that have been disrupted by the conflict.

Mr. President, from a human rights vantage point, there are two Cambodias:

The first is the Cambodia that has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to human rights and the rule of law, ratified eight of nine core human rights treaties, supported 84 percent of recommendations made during its most recent Universal Periodic Review, and been willing to engage with Special Procedures, including me, even when that engagement is challenging.

The second is the Cambodia that is restricting freedom of expression and civic space, arbitrarily applying repressive laws to crush political opponents, and detaining scores of human rights defenders, political activists and journalists while stripping the political rights of others.

The stakes over the choices Cambodia will make moving forward are high, particularly as it prepares to hold commune elections next year and national elections in the year that follows.

Free, fair and credible elections will be impossible if political leaders remain behind bars or are sidelined by restrictions on their political rights.

Or, when electoral laws and administrative procedures disqualify viable candidates and bar popular opposition parties from competing.

Mr. President, the international community can play an important role in making progress possible. In recent months and years, foreign governments stepped up to engage the government of Cambodia with respect to cyberscam networks that had laid deep roots in the country and were defrauding people around the world.

As I note in my report, until recently, Cambodian government officials routinely dismissed or downplayed reports describing the cyberscam industry’s grip on Cambodia. But last year the government launched a crackdown that has significantly disrupted cyberscam operations.

Now there is little doubt that cyberscam operations persist in different forms in Cambodia, and there are significant shortcomings with respect to accountability and the treatment of human trafficking victims. But the shift from denial to action demonstrates that international engagement can make a tangible difference.

I submit to you that this can also be the case with respect to other human rights issues identified in my report, including the detention of human rights defenders, journalists and political activists who are suffering in maximum security wings of overcrowded prisons.

Mr. President, the hope for Cambodia resides in its people and the leaders and organizations that are committed to building a future in which human rights are respected. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet many of them. They must be able to do their important work without fear of arbitrary arrest or undue restrictions on their human rights.

I urge Cambodian officials, who have been open and respectful with me, to set a course that advances human rights and justice for every Cambodian and ensures that the people of Cambodia can choose their future in free and fair elections.