Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have denounced Cambodia’s demand for the United Nations to shut down its human rights office in the Asian country.
The Cambodian government’s assertion that the human rights office is a mouthpiece for political dissent and opposition is “baseless,” the two organizations said in a statement, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
The two groups further noted that such an allegation was “a direct assault on the UN’s human rights mandate.” They called on Cambodia’s major donors to condemn the Asian country’s stance.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who recently visited the country, to close the office and fire U.N. human rights envoy Christophe Peschoux, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports.
This is not the first time that Cambodia has threatened or requested the expulsion of a U.N. office or official.
In May, the government threatened to expel U.N. Resident Coordinator Douglas Broderick after claiming he was interfering with Cambodia’s internal affairs.
