សម្លេងម្ចាស់ឆ្នោត​កម្ពុជា

Greeting from COMFREL
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Weekly Democracy and Electoral Digest 10th – 14th October, 2022
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Main Situation:
A court in France has dismissed two defamation cases brought against Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy by Prime Minister Hun Sen and a senior police official, but both sides were quick to claim victory in the proceedings, citing elements that advanced their own narrative.
Unlike the French court, Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Candlelight Party vice-president Son Chhay guilty of defamation and ordered him to pay over $750,000 over allegations made concerning the June Commune Election.
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1-Elections/National Election Committee
The National Election Committee (NEC) has revealed that nearly $60 million will be needed to hold next year’s National Election and the full cost has to be borne by the government amid lack of support from donor countries.
The National Election Committee (NEC) urged authorities at all levels to cooperate with the capital-provincial electoral commissions to maintain security, peace and public order during the voter list revision and voter registration period, which will run from October 20 to December 8 of this year.
https://bit.ly/3Vmt3ie;
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2- International Community
The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations at Geneva has apprised the Human Rights Council of the progress and accomplishments in Human Rights in Cambodia.
https://bit.ly/3EElEF5;
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3- Political Party
Unity is strength. In a strategic move, the Khmer United National Party (KNUP) and the Kampuchea Niyum Party (KP) have announced an agreement to create a new political pole in which KP will compete under the KNUP’s umbrella at the upcoming general elections, which will be held on July 23, 2023.
https://bit.ly/3Tttt4L;
A court in France has dismissed two defamation cases brought against Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy by Prime Minister Hun Sen and a senior police official, but both sides were quick to claim victory in the proceedings, citing elements that advanced their own narrative. The Paris tribunal judiciaire ruled on Monday that Sam Rainsy – a dual citizen of France and head of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) – was guilty of defamation against Hun Sen when he posted a message to social media in 2019 claiming that the prime minister had ordered the assassination of Cambodia’s former National Police Chief Hok Lundy.
https://bit.ly/3CvthuC;
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4- Legislative and Executive
National Assembly (NA) refused to meet four opposition parties for a second time, reiterating its earlier stand that there is no provision in the law for a meeting between the NA and political parties without seats in the NA.
https://bit.ly/3RWpJYi;
King Norodom Sihamoni on October 14 issued a Royal Decree to officially appoint Dith Tina as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon was fired over the weekend following past criticism from the prime minister that he doesn’t cooperate well with others.
https://bit.ly/3rJaQh0;
Cambodian has recouped about $14 million from 300,000 barrels of crude oil removed illegally by the tanker MT Strovolos from the Block A oilfield in the Gulf of Thailand in June 2021.
https://bit.ly/3esgCAM;
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5- Judiciary, Authority and Military
Sihanoukville authorities have fielded 420 human trafficking complaints in 51 days, leading to 1,605 foreign nationals being marked for deportation, according to an official report.
https://bit.ly/3SRJX6N;
Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Candlelight Party vice-president Son Chhay guilty of defamation and ordered him to pay over $750,000 over allegations made concerning the June Commune Election.
https://bit.ly/3rJgNdV;
Cambodia’s Supreme Court ordered the Court of Appeals to retry the case of Kak Sovanchhay, the autistic teenage son of opposition activists, who was last year sentenced to eight months in prison for incitement and insulting public officials.
https://bit.ly/3ECuF1j;
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on October 12 continued with Kem Sokha's trial on charges of treason, hearing witness testimony as the former leader of the now-defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) stands accused of conspiring with foreign powers to topple the government.
A ruling CPP official who once worked under Kem Sokha at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights said in court that CCHR had previously refused foreign funding, except from a U.S. government-funded nonprofit that officials have tied to an alleged “color revolution” plot.
https://bit.ly/3CEHi9I;
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court started hearing in absentia a case involving former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) president Sam Rainsy and 10 other former senior party officials related to a “second failed plan of repatriation” last year.
https://bit.ly/3EH1rhH;
The Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) – in collaboration with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) organised a regional workshop on the “Journey to Form the Cambodian National Human Rights Institution”.
https://bit.ly/3Tle5ay;
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6- Media
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7- Civil Society
N/A
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8- Other and Political Opinions
N/A
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Thank you!