MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Cambodia
24.11.2015 - (2015/2969(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Barbara Lochbihler, Heidi Hautala, Igor Šoltes, Bodil Valero, Davor Škrlec, Maria Heubuch on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1263/2015
The European Parliament,
-having regard to its previous reports and resolutions on Cambodia, in particular its resolution of 16 January 2014 on the situation of rights defenders and opposition activists in Cambodia and Laos and the resolution of 9 July 2015 on Cambodia’s draft laws on NGOs and trade unions,
-having regard to the statement of the Delegation of the European Union in Phnom Penh of 27 October 2015 expressing concern about the attacks on two opposition Members of the National Assembly on 26 October, and the aggressive demonstrations directed against the First Vice President of the National Assembly,
- having regard to the Statement of 15 July 2015 by EEAS Spokesperson on the Law on Associations and NGOs in Cambodia,
-having regard to the statement of the Delegation of the European Union in Phnom Penh of 9 July 2015 statement on the designation of members of the New Election Committee,
-having regard to the statement by the co-chairs of the 20th EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting of 23 July 2014,
-having regard to the statement by the Spokesperson on the verdict against former senior leaders of Democratic Kampuchea of 07 August 2014,
-having regard to the briefing note on Cambodia by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of 30 October 2015,
-having regard to the statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia by Professor Rhona Smith, Phnom Penh of 24 September 2015,
-having regard to the concluding observations on the second periodic report of Cambodia of the Human Rights Committee of 27 April 2015,
-having regards to the concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict of 23 February 2015 and of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography of 26 February 2015,
A. Whereas on 13 November the Cambodian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Sam Rainsy, leader of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) who is currently travelling abroad and on 16 November the National Assembly removed Rainsy as a member, stripping him of parliamentary immunity and making him liable to arrest when he returns to the country
B. Whereas according to reports the charges relate to a post made to his public Facebook page by an opposition senator Hong Sok Hour, who was arrested in August on charges of forgery and incitement after posting on Rainsy's facebook page a video containing an inaccurate version of the 1979 border treaty with Vietnam
C. Whereas on 26 October, CNRP parliamentarians Kong Sophea and Nhay Chamroeun were dragged from their cars and beaten in the street by thugs after a National Assembly meeting and four days later the National Assembly voted to remove Kem Sokha, deputy president of the CNRP as its vice-president;
D. whereas granting the CNRP the post of Vice-President was one of the key concessions the governing party CPP granted the CNRP in July 2014 to end its one-year boycott of parliament after the 2013 elections which have been widely perceived as flawed;
E. whereas Prime Minister Hun Sen has repeatedly called for further court action against Kem Sokha over his alleged role in violent anti-government protests following the 2013 elections although the courts have found him not guilty;
D. Whereas the rapprochement between the government and the opposition during the so-called 'culture of dialogue' in mid-2014 had raised hopes for the beginning of a new phase of resolving political differences in a constructive manner which now seem to be vain
1. Expresses its grave concern over recent physical attacks and persecution of opposition politicians and calls for a full and impartial investigation and prosecution of all those responsible for the recent brutal attack on two CNRP members of the National Assembly;
2. Calls on the Cambodian authorities to drop all charges against Sam Rainsy, CNRP members of the National Assembly and Senate, and CNRP activists and organizers and to release Senator Hong Sok Hour immediately and unconditionally and to resume the “culture of dialogue”;
4. Calls on the EU and its Member States to be vocal about these political threats and their impact on democracy as a whole;4. Calls on the Government to stop the use of the legal system in order to prosecute people on politically-motivated and trumped-up charges;
5. Strongly condemns the continued persecution of human rights, social and environmental activists, immediately and unconditionally release all those jailed on politically motivated and trumped up charges;
6. Calls on the government to abrogate the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations, which gives state authorities arbitrary powers to shut down and block the creation of human rights-defending organizations and has recently been used to deter human rights work in Cambodia;
7. Urges the government and parliament to ensure genuine and serious consultation with all those affected by draft legislation such as the Trade Union, Cybercrime, and Telecommunications Laws and to ensure the texts are in line with Cambodia's human rights obligations and commitments under domestic and international law
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to and the Government and Parliament of Cambodia, the VP/HR of the Common Foreign Policy, Council, Commission and the Secretary General of ASEAN .