A group of women in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, held a small but spirited protest Friday demanding the release of their detained husbands, as the United Nations human rights office joined two international rights groups in condemning a recent wave of arrests of dissidents and activists in the Southeast Asian nation.
The Geneva-based office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights called for Cambodia to release detained human rights and environmental activists, saying at least two dozen have been arrested because of their work in recent weeks.
It said about half of those detained since July 31, when prominent labor union activist Rong Chhun was arrested, have been released “reportedly after signing agreements under duress to discontinue human rights activities.” The others, including Rong Chhun, remain under arrest, it said.
