The Opposition party's and human rights' officials Tuesday welcome and support Prime Minister Hun Sen's announcement to withdraw defamation charges punished by penal code in the new penal code bill to give the opposition the freedom of expression without fear of being punished by criminal law.
This welcome and this support happen after Mr. Hun Sen asked the Ministry of Justice to reconsider changing criminal law to civil law, and stop the new penal code bill with the technological aids from France, which include defamation charges into the penal code.
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) with 18 local organizations appeal to the government to have a bill making null article 63 of UNTAC's penal code 1992 with defamation charges punishable by criminal law.