On Monday 30 July, the chair of the European Parliament's sub-committee on human rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, Italy), asked the EU to take measures against the human rights violations in Cambodia, following the previous day's elections there which the EU judged not to be credible (see EUROPE 12073).
"Cambodia’s commitments to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms underpin the granting of the EU 'Everything But Arms (EBA) duty-free trade scheme'", Panzeri said. "I call on the European Commission and the European External Action Service to report swiftly on their assessment of Cambodia’s compliance with its human rights obligations, as foreseen under the EBA monitoring process and to propose an appropriate response to the worrisome deterioration of the human rights situation in the country", he added. The European Commission warned on 12 July that the withdrawal of trade preferences under the EBA scheme was not to be ruled out (see EUROPE 12061).
Panzeri also urged the Cambodian government to reverse the "severe trend" towards the weakening of democracy and political rights, and the silencing of dissenting voices in the country, "by undertaking to respect democratic principles and by releasing Mr Sokha immediately" (Kem Sokha is the leader of the main opposition party in Cambodia). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)