iii. Hold perpetrators of attacks against HRDs accountable, and guarantee a right to effective remedies for victims and their families iv. Establish, with the full and effective participation of HRDs, mechanisms to ensure the protection of persons who are at risk for exercising their rights to freedom of expression v. Cease and prevent the abuse of legal processes to harass HRDs including through threats of arrest, arbitrary arrest and detention, and prosecution vi. End all ongoing criminal proceedings against individuals based on the exercise of their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, and quash all convictions on such grounds Freedom of Association and the Right to Participate in Public Affairs 45. During Cambodia’s previous UPR, the government accepted seven recommendations related to the right to freedom of association, including recommendations to take steps to protect and empower civil society 68 organisations and to foster a “culture of dialogue” among political parties. However, the government has tightened its grip on NGOs and other associations, overseen a dramatic contraction of civic space, and taken steps to eradicate any credible political opposition. Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organisations 46. In July 2015, the Cambodian Government passed the highly restrictive Law on Associations and NonGovernmental Organizations (LANGO), governing the registration and regulation of both foreign and domestic associations and NGOs. The law was passed without significant public consultation and amid the vociferous 69 objections of civil society and human rights organisations. 47. The LANGO imposes onerous registration and reporting duties on associations and NGOs. Registering organisations must endure a burdensome administrative process and disclose vast amounts of sensitive information, including banking details, sources of funding, and personal information of founding members. Authorities retain complete discretion to arbitrarily reject applications. The law bars unregistered groups from performing any activities, potentially imposing insurmountable challenges for community-based organisations. The LANGO gives authorities sweeping powers to dissolve associations and NGOs without justification or procedural safeguards. Vague requirements of political “neutrality” further open the door to the arbitrary application of the 70 law. 48. In the past three years, Cambodian authorities have used the LANGO to shut down organisations or force their temporary suspension of operations. On 23 August 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs forced the closure of the US-funded National Democratic Institute (NDI), citing the organisation’s failure to comply with the registration 71 requirements of the LANGO, an allegation which NDI denied. The environmental organization Equitable Cambodia was forced to suspend operations for a period of five months, from late 2017 and into 2018, for 72 allegedly violating two articles of the LANGO. The Cambodia Centre for Human Rights (CCHR) was put under investigation under the LANGO, but ultimately cleared to continue operations, after Prime Minister Hun Sen 73 publicly threatened to shut down the organization. 49. The government has further sought to disrupt the work of NGOs using the LANGO to ban specific activities. On 4 July 2017, the government sent cease-and-desist letters to NGOs taking part in an election monitoring consortium 74 called the Situation Room, stating that the initiative “does not reflect the neutrality” required by the LANGO. Three prominent local human rights organisations that were part of the consortium, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), and Comfrel, were later called for questioning in August 2017 by the Ministry of Economy and 75 Finance’s Taxation Department. 68 118.19 (Canada), 118.104 (Switzerland), 118.106 (Columbia), 118.107 (Croatia), 118.09 (Czech Republic), 118.110 (Netherlands) and 118.111 (Australia). Joint open letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen regarding Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations, 6 July 2015, available at: https://www.article19.org/data/files/medialibrary/38048/INGO-LANGO-letter-to-PM_Final-version.pdf. 70 Joint open letter to the President of the National Assembly on the Draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations, 22 June 2015, available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/06/22/cambodia-joint-letter-draft-law-associations-and-non-governmental-organizations. 71 National Democratic Institute, “Statement on Cambodian Government’s Decision to Shut Down NDI's Office in Cambodia” 23 August 2017, available at: https://www.ndi.org/publications/statement-cambodian-government%E2%80%99s-decision-shut-down-ndis-office-cambodia. 72 Leonie Kijewski and Niem Chheng, “Equitable Cambodia allowed to reopen”, Phnom Penh Post, 26 February 2018, available at: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/equitable-cambodia-allowed-reopen. 73 CCHR, “CCHR welcomes the announcement that it will not be closed”, 3 December 2017, available at: https://cchrcambodia.org/index_old.php?title=CCHRWelcomes-the-Announcement-That-it-Will-not-be-Closed&url=media/media.php&p=press_detail.php&prid=680&id=5. 74 Ben Sokhean and Ben Paviour, “Interior Ministry Issues Stop-Order to Situation Room NGOs”, 5 July 2017, available at: https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/interiorministry-issues-stop-order-to-situation-room-ngos-132133/; Human Rights Watch, “Cambodia: Revoke Ban on Election Monitors”; 9 July 2017, available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/09/cambodia-revoke-ban-election-monitors. 75 Human Rights Watch, “Cambodia: Onslaught on Media, Rights Groups”, 25 August 2017, available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/08/25/cambodia-onslaughtmedia-rights-groups. 69 9