International Human Rights Day - CAHRAD Media Release

International Human Rights Day

CAHRAD Media Release
December 10, 2009
“Cambodia’s constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression and association, both of which are fundamental to a vibrant democracy,” “Without this freedom the goal of justice becomes an illusion.”

We at CAHRAD join in solidarity with our compatriots around the world and Cambodia’s citizens in their enduring struggle for basic freedoms, human rights, social justice and human dignity. We call upon the United Nations and international donors to use their influence to exercise pressure upon the Cambodian government to respect basic the human rights of its citizens including their rights to own property and earn a decent living, freedom of assembly and expression, and social justice.

“Justice must be accessible to all Cambodian citizens including the poor and marginalized, and the law must be applied fairly to all including the rich and powerful,” “Cambodia’s courts have been failing to provide justice to numerous victims of human rights abuses on a daily basis, real reforms of the courts, to strengthen their independence and professional and to eliminate corruption, are desperately needed.”

The continued corruption of the Cambodian government has been robbing the Cambodian people of resources that are needed for the development of Cambodia that is not at the expense of the poor. CAHRAD supports the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) in that “There must be an end to forced evictions, and there must be government policies which ensure and enable participation and rights to information, expression and movement for everyone.”
Poor people all over Cambodia have been losing their land to rich and powerful Cambodians and foreigners who are well-connected land-grabbers operating with impunity because of collusion by the government and its police and armed forces, and the weakness of the judicial system. The corrupt Cambodian government must also stop ceding and selling Cambodia’s land and resources to foreigners and its neighbors, and use the proceeds from exploitation of its resources for the betterment of common Cambodian citizens. Government policies “have subverted the essential principles of democracy and due process, deprive people of their economic resources and means of livelihood and denied them their dignity."

CAHRAD calls upon the Cambodian government to cease the muzzling of free speech, the pervasive corruption, the participation of government officials directly or indirectly in their involvement in human trafficking, and its continued violations of human rights.

Cambodian Americans for Human Rights and Democracy (CAHRAD)
"Democracy, Freedom and Justice for All"

Email: info@CAHRAD.org
Website: http://www.CAHRAD.org