Ny Chakrya
Ny Chakrya Testimony
Active human rights defenders in Cambodia are threatened because their activities are very effective and are counter to the interests of some people in power.
Ny Chakrya is Deputy Secretary-General of the National Election Committee. He is former Head of the Human Rights and Legal Aid Section of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), which was founded in 1991 to monitor the development and protection of human rights, in particular of land and natural resources rights. ADHOC provides legal assistance to victims of land rights violations and engages in land rights advocacy through press statements and conferences, publication of thematic reports and cooperation with the National Human Rights Commission.
Ny Chakrya himself and ADHOC as organization has faced threats and intimidation several times. Most recently, in several occasions ADHOC staff members faced judicial harassments including a specific one against Ny Chakrya.
The Cambodian authorities use legislation and the judicial system, and threats of arrest or legal action, to restrict free speech, jail government critics, and disperse workers, trade union representatives and farmers engaging in peaceful assembly. The authorities routinely forcibly and often violently disperse public protests.
