EP plenary: Cambodia – The case of opposition leader Kem Sokha

15.03.2023
Strasbourg
Strategic Communications

Speech delivered by Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, on behalf of High-Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell

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Thank you President, Honourable Members [of the European Parliament], 

In all our engagements with Cambodian authorities we have been placing a strong emphasis on the protection and promotion of human rights, including the respect for fundamental freedoms.

Serious and systematic violations of human rights, including the emblematic case of opposition leader Kem Sokha who was charged with treason in 2017, led the Commission to partially withdraw trade preferences to Cambodia under the Everything But Arms scheme.

On July 23, Cambodia will hold parliamentary elections. The recent conviction of Kem Sokha to 27 years in jail, excluding him from participating in the electoral process, deprives once again Cambodian citizens of their right to choose their representatives in a transparent and credible electoral process. 

After a long, three-year judicial process, the Court has delivered a harsh verdict. The European Union has joined others in the international community, including several of our member states, in condemning this unjustified sentence. We have been unequivocal in calling for the re-opening of civic and political space in Cambodia.

We have also called on the Cambodian authorities for the immediate release of Kem Sokha and the reinstatement of his political rights. We will be following the conditions of his detention while in house arrest.

Our political dialogue with Cambodia has intensified in 2022, the year Cambodia held the ASEAN Chairmanship. Local elections took place in the same year with the participation of the opposition, which received over 20% of the votes.

We engaged in frequent contacts at all levels of the Cambodian government throughout the year where we discussed the constraints, legal and other, of the political environment at all meetings, including at high level, especially in relation to opening space for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The High Representative [Josep Borrell] also took the opportunity to meet Kem Sokha in his home during his August visit to Cambodia. 

However, since the beginning of 2023, we observed new judicial cases brought against representatives of the main opposition party (the Candlelight Party), and further restrictions to the freedom of expression and media freedom. The recent closure of Voice of Democracy (VoD), an independent media outlet in Cambodia, has restricted further the capacity of citizens to access information from independent sources.

In the run up to the elections, the European Union will continue to call on the Cambodian authorities to take all measures to ensure inclusive, transparent and credible parliamentary elections in July 2023. 

Thank you.