and again in September that forced evictions were being justified in its name.3 FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION In February, authorities revoked the licence of one of Cambodia’s few remaining independent media outlets, Voice of Democracy (VOD). The closure was ostensibly for offending the then prime minister, Hun Sen, following a report about the authorization of financial aid to Türkiye by his son Hun Manet who was deputy commander-in-chief of the Cambodian army at the time. However, the closure followed the publication of a series of investigative reports by VOD about the human trafficking crisis and government officials’ links to compounds where cyber-scamming was happening.4 FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION Misuse of the criminal justice system to target and harass members and supporters of opposition political parties continued. In March, Phnom Penh Municipal Court found the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, Kem Sokha, guilty of a trumped-up charge of treason and sentenced him to 27 years in prison.5 In the weeks before the national election, and following public calls by Hun Sen for violence against political opponents, there were multiple physical attacks, including with metal batons, by unidentified assailants on members of the Candlelight Party. In May, the National Election Committee disqualified the party from contesting the elections on politically motivated grounds.6 A month ahead of the elections, on 23 June, the National Assembly unanimously voted to adopt amendments to the election law which were also widely viewed as preventing political opposition and intimidating the public. Under the amendments the National Election Committee can impose a fine of up to KHR 20 million (approximately USD 4,850) on anyone who encourages people not to register or vote. The State of the World’s Human Rights WORKERS’ RIGHTS There was ongoing judicial harassment of members of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) and other labour activists, linked to their support for calls for higher wages and the reinstatement of dismissed workers following mass layoffs by the Hong Kongregistered NagaWorld Casino in the capital, Phnom Penh, in late 2021. On 25 May, a Phnom Penh court found nine current and former LRSU members guilty of incitement to commit a felony or disturb public security under Articles 494 and 495 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code. LRSU president Chhim Sithar was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The remaining eight received suspended prison sentences of between one year and 18 months.7 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS In July, the National Assembly adopted a new code on environment and natural resources which, unlike previous land and environmental laws, replaced the term “Indigenous communities” with “local communities”, leading to concerns that the new code undermines respect for and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Illegal logging continued and new mining operations took place in Prey Lang forest, home to Indigenous Kuy communities. Photographic evidence showed illegal loggers carrying home-made firearms, and Prey Lang Community Network members told Amnesty International about incidents, including at least one in early 2023, in which loggers shot at them as a form of intimidation. Concerns remained that proposed changes to the Law on Forestry, first floated in 2022, to allow hunting in protected forests would threaten wildlife and exacerbate tensions between Indigenous Peoples, environmental activists and loggers. 1. Cambodia: New Violations, New Government, Same Old Harms, 20 October 2. “Cambodia: Mass evictions at UNESCO World Heritage Site Angkor violate international law”, 14 November 117