MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2021) A prominent international human rights watchdog on Thursday called mass trials of approximately 150 Cambodian opposition individuals affiliated with the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) a challenge to international fair trial standards.
The statement came as the Phnom Penh Municipal Court starts on Thursday trial hearings in six cases involving approximately 150 CNRP-affiliated defendants, including politicians, activists, as well as supporters of the CNRP and senior party leaders. The watchdog believes the cases are politically motivated.
"These mass trials are an affront to international fair trial standards, Cambodia's human rights commitments and the rule of law," Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Regional Director Yamini Mishra said, as quoted in the group's statement.
According to the human rights defender, such an influx of lawsuits is the apogee of "a relentless campaign of persecution" against the Cambodian opposition. Mishra fears that those accused will not face a fair trial, as political motivations "consistently outweigh facts and law" in Cambodia.
"The fact that opposition politicians have been denied entry into Cambodia to defend the accusations against them reveals these cynical show trials for what they are. All those imprisoned on politically motivated grounds in Cambodia should be released immediately and unconditionally, and all politically motivated charges should be dropped without delay," Mishra added.
The regional director also urged the Cambodian authorities to put an end to repressions against peaceful opposition figures and ensure a diversity of opinions in the public sphere.
In November 2017, the Supreme Court of Cambodia ruled to dissolve the CNRP and annulled the mandates of all its members, which Amnesty International called a "blatant act of political repression" and a serious violation of freedom of association. The party has since faced politically motivated accusations that it conspired with Washington to instigate a coup d'etat, while the party's supporters and activists have been arrested and faced what many believe to be politically motivated criminal charges.
