Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Sen last week approved a controversial new drug law that opens the door to rampant human rights violations. The legislation, which is expected to be signed into law within the next few weeks, will force drug users in the Asian nation into involuntary treatment for up to two years. Most of those who are detained will find themselves in facilities where detainees report that beatings, forced labor, and rape are commonplace.Read more »
About 100 people — mostly local drug addicts — gathered at a pagoda in Phnom Penh in mid-February. A few drug users had brought their families for support, and they sat together on woven mats before a Buddhist shrine. The crowd put their hands together, bowed their heads and prayed. In a country where many drug addicts report being beaten, electrocuted and forced into military-style camps, the group prayer was organized to raise public awareness of their plight. In one prayer, Cambodia's drug users and monks chanted together, "We pray for drug users to have access to proper, community-based, voluntary drug treatment."
By Irwin Loy and Chhay Channyda, The Phnom Penh Post
Authorities have begun testing a controversial drug detoxification medication on street heroin users in Phnom Penh, sparking condemnation from a local rights group and concern from UN and US embassy officials.
Human rights groups are alarmed at how subjects were chosen for the trial, accusing authorities of arbitrarily arresting drug users from the street and forcing them to undergo treatment with an unproven medication.
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Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Sen last week approved a controversial new drug law that opens the door to rampant human rights violations. The legislation, which is expected to be signed into law within the next few weeks, will force drug users in the Asian nation into involuntary treatment for up to two years. Most of those who are detained will find themselves in facilities where detainees report that beatings, forced labor, and rape are commonplace. 
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By Irwin Loy and 
