This is the opening session of the independent citizens-based fact-finding Commission of Inquiry for Cambodia designed to tell the truth to power about how and why democracy and human rights are being systematically destroyed in Cambodia by the Cambodian government. The Commission begins its work on October 23, 2021 marking the 30th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, the international agreement that ended the Indo-China wars and established the internationally agreed-upon framework for the operation and governance of the modern state of Cambodia.

We will begin to see and hear in the strictest of terms the reality of how and why the Cambodian government has destroyed democracy and human rights in Cambodia for its benefit and at the expense of the Cambodian people. We will help everyone understand why these repressive policies and practices violated not only the Paris Peace Accords but numerous international treaties and international laws. We will identify the remedial actions that now must be taken to bring about meaningful and systemic change and improvement on the democracy and human rights fronts.

The Commission's examination will focus on significant and widespread violations of international standards for democracy and human rights by the Cambodian government. These include the eradication of democracy, the suppression of press freedom and independent media, the curtailment of free speech and association rights, the abuse of the judicial system and law enforcement, as well as the unjustifiable use of arbitrary arrests and imprisonment to stifle government criticism.