Demonstrators protest proposed NGO law outside Cambodian parliament

• Around 100 protesters rallied in solidarity against a draft law requiring NGOs to report their activities and finances to the government.
• NGOs could face disbandment in the country if the government deems their activities “jeopardize peace, stability and public order or harm the national security, national unity, culture, and traditions of Cambodian society.”
• Around 5,000 NGOs have registered in Cambodia since 1993, and human rights monitors worry the new legislation–currently awaiting parliamentary approval–would dissolve the strategic barrier between government and civil society and curtail the ability of organizations to defend rights and provide services.

“The draft… appears designed to restrict the legitimate activities of civil society and human rights defenders in violation of the right to freedom of association.”