Yorm Bopha | photo by Jenny Holligan
Cambodian land rights activist, Yorm Bopha was arrested on fabricated charges on 4 September 2012, one year ago. LRWC has been involved in international advocacy on her behalf. On 12 August 2013, LRWC filed a petition with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) requesting a determination that the detention of Cambodian land rights activist Ms. Yorm Bopha is arbitrary. The petition was prepared in consultation with Cambodian human rights lawyers. Amnesty International has designated Yorm Bopha a prisoner of conscience. Yorm Bopha has been in jail since 4 September 2012 on unsubstantiated charges of assault with violence. The December 2012 conviction was based on contradictory evidence and speculation in a trial that failed to meet international standards of fairness. On 14 June 2013, the Appeals Court upheld the conviction and suspended one year of the three-year sentence. She is due to be released in September 2014. Ms. Yorm has appealed to Cambodia’s Supreme Court, but no hearing date has been set. See LRWC advocacy for human rights defenders and the rule of law in Cambodia.
See the video about Yorm Bopha produced by LICADHO, one of Cambodia’s leading human rights organizations.
