UN human rights experts are calling on the Cambodian government to ensure "open political debate" in the country, as they are concerned over the human rights violations amid the recently held election, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2018) UN human rights experts are calling on the Cambodian government to ensure "open political debate" in the country, as they are concerned over the human rights violations amid the recently held election, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday.
On July 29, the country held general elections set to choose members of the National Assembly. The election resulted in a landslide victory for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which secured all the 125 seats. The election was largely criticized as local authorities allegedly suppressed the opposition and the media, and the country's largest opposition party, dubbed Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNPR), had been dissolved.
"We call on the Government to create an environment for open and inclusive political debate that allows all voices in Cambodia to be heard. We urge the Government to release political opponents, journalists, human rights defenders and ordinary citizens who have been detained for exercising their human rights, in particular their right to freedom of expression," Shamdasani said at a press briefing.
According to Shamdasani, the CNPR dissolution deprived the party's supporters of "their rights to political participation." She added that Cambodians were reportedly forced to vote, while civil society organizations were suppressed by the government. People calling for boycott of the election or just expressing their willingness not to vote faced threats and fines.
"Respect for human rights and a vibrant civil society that has the space to debate even complex and controversial issues are essential ingredients if the conflict of the past is to be avoided, and if development is to be peaceful and sustainable," she added.
The CPP, founded in 1951, is presided by the country's Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985, which makes him one of the longest-serving national leaders in the world.
