"Third Annual Report: Cambodia Fundamental Freedoms Monitor", 18 July 2019 

From 01 April 2018 to 31 March 2019, the FFMP received a total of 167 Incident Reports; polled 992members of the public across 22 provinces; surveyed 202 CSO and TU leaders; and analyzed 658 relevant incidents via media monitoring.

The third annual report of the Cambodia Fundamental Freedoms Monitor reveals that the space to exercise fundamental freedoms continues to be restricted. Key developments highlighted in the report include: (a) new legislative amendments have further curtailed fundamental freedoms; (b) laws governing the exercise of fundamental freedoms continue to be implemented in an arbitrary manner; and (c) there has been a further decrease in the public’s ability to exercise fundamental freedoms

The third annual report reveals that although high percentages of the Cambodian public still display a low confidence in seeking redress for human rights violations and perceive that accessing government authorities or courts to complain is difficult, there seems to nevertheless be a slight encouraging improvement in the level of confidence in redress for human rights violations and perceived accessibility of complaints mechanisms in Year Three compared to Year Two. It is hoped that the Royal Government of Cambodia can continue and strengthen its efforts to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of redress mechanisms.

The FFMP provides a unique insight into the state of fundamental freedoms in Cambodia. It is hoped that the trends identified in this report will lead to better-informed, more constructive discussions to design new strategies to improve the legal environment for civil society and civic freedoms.