CIVIL SOCIETY (09th – 13th Feb. 2026)
| Reporters Without Borders and 22 local civil society groups and families are calling for the immediate release of journalist Hem Vanna, who was arrested after exposing an alleged scam compound, as well as for all charges against him to be dropped, warning the arrest reflects growing pressure on journalists covering cybercrime and human rights abuses in Cambodia. https://shorturl.at/VyDhk ; Cambodia’s corruption ranking worsened in 2025, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), dropping one point compared to 2024–a finding which has been rejected by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) because it does not reflect the “current reality”. https://shorturl.at/ra8a8 ; Takeo provincial authorities said Friday they will hand the heavily fortified facility to the Interior Ministry to serve as an immigration holding center. Known as “Mango Park 2” among transnational crime watchdogs, the Takeo compound is nine kilometers from a similarly named site in Kampong Speu that was previously raided. Amnesty International has also identified the facility as a hub for scams. https://url-shortener.me/CK6R ; Cambodia’s human rights record continues to deteriorate under Prime Minister Hun Manet, Human Rights Watch warned in its latest annual report, pointing to deepening political repression, the systematic silencing of critics, and a shrinking space for civil society, even as gender-based rights abuses remain largely unexamined. https://shorturl.at/mpehV ; More than 30 people, including opposition members, activists and journalists, were arrested between July 2025 and February this year after posting comments on social media about Cambodia’s border clashes with Thailand, which erupted in July and again in December before a ceasefire. |
