On December 31, Cambodia's most outspoken and well-known rights activist, Kem Sokha, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), and Yeng Virak, director of the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), were arrested. CCHR's acting director, Pa Nguon Teang, was arrested on Jan 4. (See press release.) Journalists, diplomats and members of the public flocked to CCHR's offices during Kem Sokha's arrest. The rights defenders were charged with defamation in connection with handwritten comments criticizing Prime Minister Hun Sen on a banner displayed at an International Human Rights Day celebration on December 10.
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