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	Renewed crackdown against Government critics in Cambodia by Forum Asia, ICJ, agencies   12 July 2016   Thousands of Cambodians have paid tribute to an outspoken anti-government activist shot dead at a busy cafe.   Kem Ley was gunned down in broad daylight, shot several times as he drank coffee at a petrol station cafe in Phnom Penh. Police later arrested a man who confessed to killing him over an unpaid debt. However, Cambodians have no doubt it was a political assassination, and suspect Hun Sen''s government was behind the killing.   "We all see clearly that many famous intellectuals are being killed," said one woman, at the crime scene.   "We only had Kem Ley left but now he has also been killed and the police have never, they have never found the real killers to bring to justice."   As a political activist and the head of a grass roots advocacy group Khmer for Khmer, Kem Lay was well regarded by ordinary Cambodians.   He was a fearless and outspoken critic of Hun Sen''s government, recently highlighting questions raised by an anti-corruption group about the Prime Minister''s personal wealth.   The report by the NGO Global Witness accused the Prime Minister and his family of amassing $200 million in business interests. The allegations were dismissed by a government spokesman as propaganda.   A member of Cambodia''s opposition party, Ou Chanroth, called for unity to save the democratic processes.   "We believe that this act of cruel killing pushes us to fight harder for democracy, make the Cambodian people understand politics more clearly, and walk united with the opposition party to save the country and democracy in the days ahead," he said.   Thousands of mourners formed a procession on Sunday as the activist''s body was taken to the pagoda by car, which was laden with flowers, fruit and incense. The mourners were angry and shocked at his murder.   Prime Minister Hun Sen has publicly condemned Kem Lay''s killing and vowed to launch a full investigation, but the shooting coincides with a rise in political violence in Cambodia.   The opposition has accused the nation''s authoritarian leader of launching a fresh crackdown against dissidents.   Scores of government critics and rights workers have been arrested in recent months, while others have been tied up in ongoing legal cases.   "Kem Lay''s murder follows a long established pattern of political violence in Cambodia," said Sebastian Strangio, a journalist and author of a biography of Hun Sen. He said the depth of anger over Kem Lay''s death showed how popular he had become.   "There''s clearly deep public anger. People have no doubt that the Government is behind this and I think that this killing has only inflamed public anger against the Government.   "The political ramifications may not be immediate but they will be serious when the time comes.   "Kem Lay spoke his mind. He''s not afraid to criticise the Government, speak openly, speak critically. He is somebody who never holds back, and I think a lot of local people used to this silence that blankets so much of Cambodian society respond to that.   "He also has a personal charisma and a lot of leadership qualities that people respond to. He''s offering people a third way — a path forward in Cambodian politics. And the depth of anger shows the popularity he begun to generate among the Cambodian population."   Yon Sineat, a labour rights activist, said grief-stricken supporters were determined Kem Lay''s campaign for free speech and political transparency would continue.   "He always said that he''s not sure when he''d die," she said. "But he wanted to continue his mission to show Cambodians, especially youth, must stand up to fight for social justice and also to improve our country."   Another supporter, Im Sambol, agreed. "Kem Ley represents all of Cambodia''s people. He lived and worked for the benefit of society and all Cambodian people."   * Statement by the Asia Forum for Human Rights & Development: http://bit.ly/2gwv2zL http://bit.ly/29R6kbG http://www.icj.org/cambodia-kem-leys-killing-demands-immediate-credible-and-impartial-investigation/ Visit the related web page
	Addressing exclusion an urgent political issue by CIVICUS Alliance   27 June 2016   The 2016 State of Civil Society Report, produced by CIVICUS, provides a comprehensive `year in review’ as well as 33 guest essays focusing on the topic of exclusion.   Addressing exclusion is an urgent political issue, which gained renewed emphasis with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.   In the past year, civil society responded to profound human rights abuses caused by conflicts and worked to alleviate human suffering in the wake of disasters, yet faces major challenges including dubious attempts to silence dissenting voices.   CIVICUS documented serious violations of the freedoms of association, expression and peaceful assembly in 109 countries over the course of 2015.   In an increasingly unequal world where human rights are being undermined, civil society is challenging exclusion in innovative ways.   “Much of civic life is about promoting inclusion. It is about amplifying the voices of the marginalised, tackling the causes of discrimination, and promoting equal rights and access to services,” said Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, CIVICUS Secretary-General on launching the organisation’s 2016 State of Civil Society Report. “But, for many millions of people exclusion remains a painful, everyday reality.”   The yearly report, produced by CIVICUS, provides a comprehensive `year in review’ of civil society and the conditions it works in around the world, drawing on a range of perspectives from experts and activists. This year’s 33 thematic guest contributions tackle the complex issue of civil society and exclusion, exposing contemporary, dynamic drivers of exclusion, which in many cases are worsening.   “These contributions from civil society working on the ground emphasise the need for excluded people to be understood not as victims, or objects of charity, but as people striving to access their basic human rights. And, they highlight the disproportionate effect that civic space restrictions have on excluded groups and civil society seeking to protect their rights,” added Sriskandarajah.   The report outlines how the huge and growing gap between super-rich elites and the overwhelming majority of humanity is fuelling public anger and protest. Climate change and conflicts also disproportionately impact excluded populations, further exacerbating exclusion. Addressing exclusion is therefore an urgent political issue, which gained renewed emphasis with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, which promise to change the present reality and “leave no one behind.” However, as the report outlines, all over the world, people are being left behind on the basis of their gender, ethnicity, migration status, faith, age, sexuality, disability, HIV and health status, locality and more.   Civil society responses to global challenges and attacks on civic space   In the past year, civil society responded to profound human rights abuses caused by conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, and worked to alleviate human suffering in the wake of disasters, such as the major earthquake in Nepal. The report notes that part of the fallout of the Syrian war, and of conflict in the Middle East more generally, was an influx of refugees into Europe in 2015. The response of many European governments and the European Union (EU) as a whole was “defensive, miserly and mean-spirited, falling far short of the EU’s stated human rights commitments.” While levels of racism and xenophobia were high, there were also significant voluntary responses from citizens and civil society organisations to communicate that refugees were welcome and to help settle them into communities.   The past year also saw large-scale protest in many parts of the world – including Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, parts of East Asia, and Eastern Europe – in which citizens expressed frustration with corruption, repressive unaccountable governments, and elite economic power which perpetuates inequality.   To thwart civil society, governments are employing a number of dubious measures to silence critical voices. Whether it is under the guise of combatting terrorism, protecting state secrets or preventing cybercrime, governments are using a number of far-stretched justifications to limit free speech, association and assembly. CIVICUS has documented serious violations of the freedoms of association, expression and peaceful assembly in 109 countries over the course of 2015, meaning citizens face serious restrictions for speaking-out, organising and taking action on issues affecting their communities.   Such restrictions threaten the vital role civil society plays in working towards all citizens being able to access their rights and advocate on issues that affect them. Civil society organisations and activists faced restriction most strongly when they worked to question the power of political and economic elites, expose corruption and poor governance and realise the human rights of excluded populations, such as the LGBTI community.   The Year in Review   Assassinations of human rights defenders. Activists and investigative journalists exposing malpractices by extractive industries and agribusinesses remained vulnerable to assassinations, which were recorded in Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Peru, Philippines and South Africa, among other countries.   Market fundamentalism sparking protest. In many countries, people are seeing their material conditions worsening as public services and employment rights are slashed while the cost of essential goods is rising. As elites grow wealthier many see that their governments are unresponsive, or even complicit in their impoverishment.   Results through continued engagement. The year offered some success stories for civil society. In Tunisia, the commitment and sustained engagement of civil society to build peace and democracy, and resist a slide into repression and extremism, was recognised by the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Tunisian Dialogue Quartet, comprising a human rights organisation, a lawyers’ group, a labour union and a trade confederation.   Online freedom. The restriction of online freedom of expression, including through the targeting of social media commentators and restriction of content, is now a marked trend, seen for example in China, Thailand and Turkey. Pervasive surveillance in supposedly mature democracies such as the UK and USA is also limiting online freedom. Roughly 60% of internet users now live in countries where there is censorship of online criticism of the government, ruling family, or military.   Sustainable Development Goals. On the global stage, civil society campaigned successfully to make the major international commitments of 2015 - the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change - more comprehensive and rights-based than previous agreements.   2016 Theme: Exclusion and Civil Society   Failing on Exclusion. One of the main tests of whether a society is just is how it addresses exclusion, reduces inequality and protects minorities, while enabling their access to services and decision-making. On this measure, many of our societies are failing.   Exclusion in 2015. The history of the past year can be seen as one of exclusion, observed in numerous examples, from the dismal reception given to Europe’s new refugees to the physical attacks made on indigenous people’s rights activists and women’s human rights defenders, and from the enactment of new discriminatory measures against LGBTI people to the continuing fact that black people in the USA are far more likely to die at the hands of the police than anyone else.   Exclusion is intersectional. Different forms of exclusion compound and overlap; for example, people with disabilities are excluded, but women with disabilities face further exclusion, and even more so if they also come from an impoverished community.   Exclusion is dynamic. New drivers of exclusion can come into play and interact with existing experiences of exclusion; for example, people who were most exposed to human rights abuses in Syria on the grounds of poverty or minority status became newly excluded as refugees when they were forced to flee.   Heightened Risks. CSOs and civil society activists of excluded groups often experience heightened risks of restriction and attacks in conditions of limited civic space   Civil society looking inward. Exclusion is not just a concern for society at large, but also for organised civil society. Looking inwards, CSOs need to examine their own practices and ask themselves – how do we collectively address exclusion?   * Access the report via the link below. Visit the related web page
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