The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has dropped all charges against Tola Moeun, the director of the Centre for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights in Cambodia and a former BWI project coordinator.
”Tola Moeun is an important voice for workers and human rights in Cambodia and it is a great relief that the charges were dropped. We believe these charges were politically motivated, as part of the broader tendency of the government to restrict democratic freedoms in Cambodia,” said Ambet Yuson, general secretary of the BWI.
Tola Moeun had been accused of mishandling funds raised for the funeral of Kem Ley, a critic of the Cambodian government and head of the grassroots advocacy group "Khmer for Khmer”.
Kem Ley was shot dead on July 10, two days after he had publicly criticized the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family for abusing its power to get personal wealth.
As part of the international trade union movement and global civil society network that call for the dropping of charges against Tola, the BWI commends the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in its decision to drop all charges against Tola.
The BWI has strongly supported the demand to drop the charges against Tola Moeun and sent letters to Cambodian ambassadors in various countries to do so.