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International Movement of Parliamentarians for Democracy

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-Alerts - Cambodian MPs Stripped of Immunity

Three leading opposition members of Cambodia's National Assembly were recently stripped of their parliamentary immunity. In a closed session on February 3, the National Assembly voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of opposition leader Sam Rainsy and legislators Cheam Channy and Chea Poch, members of the Sam Rainsy Party. National Assembly proceedings are normally televised, but on this occasion cameras were barred.

The MPs can now face prosecution for a number of outstanding charges and one has already been detained. Rainsy and Poch face criminal defamation complaints filed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh, his partner in a coalition government that was established after national elections in 2003. Channy has been charged by the Military Court with organized crime and fraud under Cambodia's 1992 Criminal Code, along with failure to follow military orders under a 1997 regulation issued by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. He was arrested, brought to military court for questioning, and transferred to the military prison in Phnom Penh. Poch went into hiding and Rainsy immediately fled the country.

The United Nations' special representative for human rights in Cambodia is urging the National Assembly to restore parliamentary immunity to the MPs and members of the Sam Rainsy Party say they will boycott some parliamentary sessions as a protest against the immunity vote.

The International Movement of Parliamentarians for Democracy (IMPD) strongly condemns the stripping of parliamentary immunity of Sam Rainsy, Chea Poch, and Cheam Channy. We urge the government of Cambodia to respect the right of the opposition parties to function freely. We urge members of the IMPD to write to Cambodian authorities and the media to push the government to respect the political freedom of opposition parties.

Founded in February 2003, the IMPD is an international coalition of parliamentarians dedicated to the defense and promotion of democracy around the world. Affiliated with the World Movement for Democracy, it includes 227 members in 33 countries.