Police officers stand guard at the Supreme Court during a hearing to decide whether to dissolve the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 16, 2017.

Police officers stand guard at the Supreme Court during a hearing to decide whether to dissolve the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 16, 2017.
Photo Credit: Pring Samrang

Canada alarmed by dissolution of Cambodia’s main opposition party

Ottawa is sounding the alarm over the future of Cambodia’s democratic reforms after the country’s Supreme Court ordered the main opposition party to be dissolved on Thursday, dealing one of the most crushing blows yet to democratic aspirations in the increasingly authoritarian Southeast Asian state.

The unanimous ruling by the country’s highest court also bans 118 opposition party members from politics for the next five years.

The decision, which could not be appealed, means Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has held power since mid-1980s, will face no serious challengers in upcoming elections in July, allowing him to further cement his rule for years to come.

‘Profoundly anti-democratic’

“Despite the economic progress that Cambodia has made over the past two decades, recent actions including the September arrest of the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Kem Sokha, and the law passed in October to distribute the CNRP’s seats to other parties, are a step backwards and profoundly anti-democratic,” said a statement issued by Global Affairs Canada on Friday.

Along with the government’s crackdown on alternative voices in the media and civil society, the ruling demonstrates that Hun Sen is using the law to “impose further anti-democratic actions,” the statement said.

“Canada is a friend of Cambodia and wants it to succeed and grow—something it has demonstrated it is able to do,” the statement said. “Cambodia’s democratic future requires all voices to be heard, and Canada strongly encourages Cambodia to work toward establishing a full and robust democracy.”

Calling for targeted sanctions
Buddhist monks walk past a banner of opposition leader and President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Kem Sokha at the party’s headquarters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 17, 2017.
Buddhist monks walk past a banner of opposition leader and President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Kem Sokha at the party’s headquarters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 17, 2017. © Pring Samrang

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party said it would not recognize the ruling and would maintain its leadership structure. It said the verdict was politically motivated and deprived millions of their supporters of their right to be represented.

The CNPR’s exiled leader Sam Rainsy has called on Western government to impose targeted sanctions on senior Cambodian officials — although not broader economic restrictions that could hurt Cambodia’s 15 million people.

The government accuses the CNRP of plotting a coup and has called for its dissolution for weeks. The opposition staunchly denies the allegations — a position backed by international rights groups and independent analysts who say no credible evidence has emerged to back the claims.

The party had been expected to be a serious contender in next year’s polls. During the last vote in 2013, it scored major gains in a tense race that saw Hun Sen narrowly retain office.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to well wishers upon his arrival to attend the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings in Clark, Pampanga in northern Philippines November 11, 2017.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to well wishers upon his arrival to attend the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings in Clark, Pampanga in northern Philippines November 11, 2017. © Erik de Castro

Since then, the opposition’s fortunes have ebbed dramatically.

Sam Rainsy, who led the party during that vote, went into exile in 2016 and faces a jail term for a criminal defamation conviction if he returns. The party’s current leader, Kem Sokha, has been imprisoned since September, charged with treason.

More than 20 opposition lawmakers — about half of those with seats in Parliament — have also fled the country.

‘A widespread assault on dissent’

The rights group Amnesty International blasted the decision, calling it “a blatant act of political repression.”

“This is yet more evidence of how the judiciary in Cambodia is essentially used as an arm of the executive and as a political tool to silence dissent,” said James Gomez, Amnesty International’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“Sadly, this is just the culmination of several months of threats, rhetoric and outright repression. The authorities have launched a widespread assault on dissent … the international community cannot stand idly — it must send a strong signal that this crackdown is unacceptable.”

With files from The Associated Press

Categories: International, Politics
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