Last Rally of CNRP in Phnom Penh - June 2017

Phono Journalism Podcast

Rally of CNRP opposants in Phnom Penh for the communal elections. Recorded by David Oppetit in binaural in 2017. The Cambodia National Rescue Party, commonly abbreviated as CNRP, (Khmer: ??????????????????, Khmer pronunciation: [ku??n pa? s??kru?h ci?t], literally: "Party of Rescuing the Nation") was a major political party in Cambodia. It was founded in 2012 as a merger between the Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party. The party believed in the strengthening of freedom and human rights, institution of free and fair elections, and defending Cambodia's "national integrity". It became the sole challenger to the Cambodian People's Party after the 2013 election. Its official motto was "rescue, serve, protect" (Khmer: ???????? ????? ??????) and the logo for the CNRP is the rising sun. Party leader Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 after which the party was in danger of being dissolved, allegedly for being part of a foreign plot to overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen. The case was heard by the Supreme Court which is headed by Chief Justice Dith Munty, a member of the CPP's permanent committee. On 16 November 2017, the Supreme Court of Cambodia ruled to dissolve the CNRP. As a result of the ruling, all CNRP office holders, including 489 commune chiefs and 55 MPs, will lose their positions and their seats allocated to other parties. Additionally, 118 senior party official were banned from politics for five years. About half the party’s former MPs, including its vice president Mu Sochua, had already fled Cambodia before October out of fear of arrest by the ruling party. The forced dissolution of the party prompted condemnation and calls to reverse the decision from the international community. (Wiki)