Dear _________,
CAMBODIA: Candidate of an opposition party was killed few days before the communal election
Victims:
1. Mr. Hak Sok, aged 51, resident of Sangkat number 4, Khan Mitapheap, Sihanoukville, Cambodia; candidate of Norodom Ranariddh party for communal election on April 1 (killed)
2. Miss. Hak Nganh, aged 19, Mr. Hak Sok’s daughter (severely injured)
Alleged perpetrators: Three unidentified persons
Date of incident: 26 March 2007 at around 9:45pm
Place of incident: victim’s house compound in Sangkat number 4, Khan Mitapheap, Sihanoukville
I am writing to express my deep concern that Mr. Hak Sok (51), a candidate of Norodom Ranariddh party running for the communal election scheduled for April 1, was killed by the three unidentified men in front of his house on 26 March 2007. His 19-year-old daughter named Hak Nganh was also seriously injured.
According to the information I have received, when the victim was called down from his house at about 9:45pm on March 26, he was hacked with a machete many time on his face, the back of his head and his shoulder by three unidentified men. He immediately died in what was a brutal cold blooded assault. The victim’s daughter, who tried to rescue her father, was also smashed to the ground and her right hand was nearly cut off by the same unidentified men. When she screamed loudly for help, the killers ran away. Neighbors immediately took Nganh to the Sihanoukville hospital for medical care.
It has come to my knowledge that, Mr. Hak Sok’s death occurred as an aftermath of the election campaign he conducted in his region Sihanoukville on 23-25 March 2007 for the commune election. Mr. Hak Sok was also the Norodom Ranariddh partys candidate for the upcoming commune election that will be held on 1 April 2007.
I am informed that the Sihanoukville municipality police arrested two suspects on March 28 and look for another suspect and now claim that the victim’s killing is not a politically motivated one but happened due to an individual conflict between the victim and the alleged suspects.
However, I am deeply concerned that the Sihanoukville municipality police made such a hush conclusion within 2 days since the incident, without conducting the thorough investigation. Further, it seems that the police made such arrest without any concrete evidence against the three identified suspects. The police did not investigate at all whether the victim had received any threats and intimidation due to his election campaign prior to his killing. This make me worry about the transparency of the investigation process.
I am well aware about the blunt violence against members or candidates of the opposition parties members during the election campaign period in Cambodia. I suspect that Mr. Hak Sok may be yet another victim of such violence. I am already informed that activists and candidates of the Norodom Ranariddh party and Sam Rainsy party have been reportedly facing beatings, intimidation including death threats before the upcoming communal election.
I strongly condemn this inhuman killing and brutality and the blatant affront to the right to freedom of joining a political party and freedom of expression. The investigation should not be hurried up but conducted in an impartial and transparent way. I also request the Sihanoukville governor and the Cambodian government and authorities to immediately take action to thoroughly investigate this incident and bring those responsible to justice. If the police do not have any concrete evidence against the two arrested suspect, they should be released within 48 hours since their arrest. I am concerned that they might be subjected to torture by the police to extract the forced confession.
I also urge the government and authorities to guarantee the freedom of joining a political party or freedom to hold election campaigns, according to the democratic standard.
I look forward to seeing your intervention in this matter.
Yours faithfully,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
1. Mr. Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister
Cabinet of the Prime Minister
No. 38, Russian Federation Street
PhnomPenh
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855 23 21 98 98
Fax: +855 23 36 06 66
2. Mr. Ang Vong Vathna
Minster of Justice
No 240, Sothearos Blvd.
Phnom Penh,
CAMBODIA
Fax: + 855 23 36 4119/21 66 22
3. Mr. Henro Raken
Prosecutor General
Court of Appeal
No. 14, Boulevard Sothearos
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855 23 21 84 60
4. Mr. Say Hak
Governor
Municipality of Sihanoukville
Street Ekareach, Sangkat 3, Khan
Mittapheap, Sihanoukville,
Cambodia.
Tel: 855 034 933 417
Fax: 855 034 933 657
Email: kpsi-admin@Norton.edu.kh
5. Mr. Douglas Gardner
UNDP resident Representative in Cambodia
Resident Coordinator of United Nations/ UNRC
NX 53, Pasteur Street, Boeung Keng Kang I,
Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh,
CAMBODIA (P.O.Box 877)
Tel: +855-23-214371/214397/211240/211205/216167/216217/213094
Fax: +855-23 216257/721 042/216 863/210 214
6. Ms Margo Picken
Director
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Cambodia
N 10, Street 302
Sangkat Boeng Keng
Kang I Khan Chamcar Mon
Phnom Penh,
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855-23-987 671 / 987 672, 993 590 /993 591 or +85523 216 342
Fax: +855-23-212 579, 213 587
7. Prof. Yash Ghai
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia
Attn: Ms. Afarin Shahidzadeh
Room 3-080, OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix1211
Geneva 10,
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 91 79214
Fax: +4122 91 79018 (ATTENTION: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CAMBODIA)
8. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Att: Melinda Ching Simon
Room 1-040
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS)
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
