Sam Rainsy's letter to world leaders and appeal to all parliamentarians

February 20, 2012

SAM RAINSY’S LETTER TO WORLD LEADERS AND APPEAL TO ALL
PARLIAMENTARIANS REGARDING THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS IN CAMBODIA

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy last week wrote a similar
letter to 21 world leaders including the UN Secretary-General, the
President of the European Commission, Presidents, Prime Ministers and
Foreign Ministers of a number of friendly and influential countries.

The main points of the letter read as follows:

“I am appreciative of the efforts that [name of organization or
country] has made since the Paris Accords of 1991 to promote democracy
and development in Cambodia. However, a continuous and vigilant
support from [name of organization or country] is necessary to avoid a
catastrophic derailing of the democratic process as the country
approaches communal elections in June 2012 and legislative elections
in July 2013.


As the world rejoices in the release of Myanmar's opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now authorized to take part in the country's
forthcoming legislative elections, Cambodia has in recent years
followed an opposite path of political retrenchment
.
As opposition leader I have been forced into exile to avoid a prison
sentence, the political motivation for which has been confirmed by
every major human rights organization. My removal from the list of
parliamentary representatives is a denial of the principle of
representative democracy. I am not authorized to participate in my
country's forthcoming elections.

My party, which has 37 national assembly and senate representatives,
is the second-largest in Cambodia, far ahead of other opposition or
government-allied parties which have two or three parliamentary seats
at most. My party has improved its performance at each election and is
the only one capable of challenging authoritarian prime minister Hun
Sen, who has been in power since 1979.  No doubt that's why I'm a
perennial target for the governing party. After having twice tried to
kill me, by grenade attack in 1997 and at the Interior Ministry in
1998, Hun Sen is now seeking to eliminate me politically by thwarting
the democratic process.

For the second time since 2005, I find myself unconstitutionally
expelled from the national assembly and unjustly hounded out of the
country. My absence hasn't weakened my party, as some had hoped, but
rather strengthened it. This is confirmed by the results of the latest
senatorial elections on January 29, 2012.  My party increased its
representation from two seats to 11, and is the only voice challenging
Hun Sen in the senate, as the other parties were eliminated.

Forthcoming elections in June 2012 and July 2013 will be contested by
the same political parties, with higher stakes. Elections conducted by
universal suffrage presuppose that the leaders of the two main parties
are able to confront each other on equal terms. For this reason I am
requesting the intervention of [name of organization or country] in
any appropriate form -- directly, as well as via relevant
international organizations -- to allow me to return to Cambodia to
contest these elections. Their legitimacy will determine not only the
legitimacy of the next government in Phnom Penh, but the stability and
development of Cambodia.

Cambodia survives in its current corrupt form thanks only to
international aid. This includes aid from [name of organization or
country], which comes in bilateral or multilateral form via
international financial institutions.

Any initiative from [name of organization or country] would reinforce
pressure from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, the
European Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and international
human-rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International, who have demanded steps to rectify the dangerous
weakening of democracy and the rule of law in Cambodia.”

The following appeal, which has been sent to Members of Parliament
worldwide, is attached to the above letter:

February 18, 2012

APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY SOLIDARITY

My name is Sam Rainsy. I am an elected member of parliament of
Cambodia and the leader of my country’s second-largest political
party.

As the leader of the opposition I have been persecuted by the
authoritarian ruling party and government of Cambodia.

In 1995 and again in 2005, I was unconstitutionally expelled from the
National Assembly, but managed to recover my parliamentary seat after
subsequent elections. At every election my party has increased its
number of votes and parliamentary seats.

But on March 16, 2011, I was -- for the third time -- stripped of my
parliamentary seat and unconstitutionally expelled from parliament by
the ruling party, in total disrespect for the principles of
representative democracy.

Over the last fifteen years I have escaped several assassination
attempts, such as a deadly grenade attack in 1997 and another assault
at the Ministry of Interior in 1998. Some eighty of my supporters have
since been murdered in a long series of acts of political violence
perpetrated with total impunity.

Besides trying to kill me or expel me from parliament, the ruling
party has managed to deprive me of my parliamentary immunity and to
get me sentenced to prison terms on countless occasions. I now stand
sentenced to a total of 14 years in jail under political charges and
have therefore been forced into exile in France.

My only crime is my unyielding denunciation of corruption and human
rights abuses and my unwavering defense of the people who have elected
me as their representative.

In 2000, former Portuguese socialist President Mario Suarez, with a
group of MEPs from several parties, helped me obtain a “Passport for
Freedom” from the European Parliament. In 2006, I received the Prize
for Freedom from Liberal International.

On October 21, 2010, in its "Resolution on Cambodia, in particular the
case of Sam Rainsy", the European Parliament condemned “all
politically motivated sentences against representatives of the
opposition and NGOs.” The resolution stated that "the strategy of
Cambodia's ruling party is to use a politically subservient judiciary
to crackdown on all government critics.”

On January 17, 2011, the Inter-Parliamentary Union said that it has
''become urgent to review Mr. Sam Rainsy's case and to rehabilitate
him'' and called on the authorities, including parliament, ''to take
action to this end without delay so as to enable Mr. Sam Rainsy to
resume his rightful place as a member of the National Assembly.'
'
I call on your solidarity as a fellow parliamentarian. Please help me
by asking the government of your country to put pressure on the
authorities of Cambodia, which are heavily dependent on international
aid, so that I can resume my parliamentary work in acceptable
conditions and continue to promote democracy in my country.

Thank you.

Sam Rainsy
samrainsysrp@gmail.com