Concluding Statement for the National Election of the Commission of Inquiry for Cambodia, 22 July 2023

This brings us to the conclusion of the Commission of Inquiry for Cambodia’s special session dealing with the July 23 national elections. The point and purpose of this special session on the elections was to explain why the United Nations has rejected the results of that election as illegitimate, because Hun Sen’s long-standing and systematic human rights and rule of law abuses make free and fair elections totally impossible.

But this leaves unanswered the very critical question of what needs to be done about the sad state of affairs in Cambodia. How do we deal with the sad reality that Hun Sen has doubled down on his abuses to eliminate any meaningful political opposition, and to consolidate his autocratic power, and to make it permanent by passing it on to his son Hun Manet? What steps can we take facing these sad and seemingly intractable realities of Hun Sen’s dictatorial control? What steps can we, and should we, be taking to help bring a reasonable degree of improved human rights, rule of law and democracy to Cambodia and to the Khmer people?

The Commission of Inquiry for Cambodia believes that it can help answer these critical questions. So it has scheduled a second special session focused on these important matters on September 23, 2023. The reason this date was chosen is that it coincides with the date that the United Nations begins its official human rights review for Cambodia that it calls the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. That signifies that more needs to be done regarding Cambodia, and invites us to be part of that process by submitting complaints and comments by the September 23 start date. So, the first action step that we must take to deal more effectively with the Hun Sen regime and its abuses also begins for us on that date. In addition to making a formal written submission to the United Nations on that date, as they have requested, Brad Adams, former Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, and Paul Hoffman, one of the Commission’s two Commissioners, will convene the second part of our special coverage and treatment of the Cambodia election issues. This session will focus on finding the answers to the critical question of where do we go from here and identifying the steps we can and must take to help produce meaningful and effective change for Cambodia.

Please also note that on November 1 there will be a special strategic planning session with a panel of international experts to help us identify and explore what effective advocacy action for Cambodia should include. We encourage the Khmer community to sign-up to attend this Zoom Webinar session.

We hope that this session will provide some of the clear and specific answers that you are looking for regarding what advocacy and action steps can be taken to help make a meaningful difference for Cambodia. As the United Nations has made clear, we cannot accept the manufactured, pre-determined results of the Cambodian elections coronating Hun Sen’s and Hun Manet’s rule as legitimate. We must find effective ways of challenging those results, and of bringing greater human right, rule of law and democracy to Cambodia. Join us at our next special session on September 23 with this purpose in mind, and as a first step towards the additional advocacy and action steps that are required.