AKP Phnom Penh, February 20, 2025 --

Cambodia's Ministry of Justice on Tuesday issued a statement to respond to a critic of Cambodia's recent adoption of a law to ban the denial of Khmer Rouge genocide.

The statement was circulated following a criticism by an English news commentator, Mr. David Hutt, saying that legalisation of the ban is a restriction of the freedom of expression.

The statement explained that through a thorough and extensive investigation, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), jointly established by Cambodia and the United Nations, found very serious crimes during the Khmer Rouge period from Apr. 1975 to Jan. 1979.

The severe criminal acts include genocide, crimes against humanity, and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, which is the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

With that in mind, wrote the statement, the denial of the crimes is not an act of freedom of expression but a rejection of the finding by ECCC and the international humanitarian law.

It is also an insult to those who lost their lives during the dark period that can continue to traumatise the families of those victims of the genocide.

The critics of Cambodia's law to ban the denial of the Khmer Rouge genocide should do some more study, as there are countries in the world, including as many as 17 in Europe, that greatly suffered from World War II and have enacted similar legislations with even more severe penalties.

For Cambodia, continued the statement, the adoption of such legislation demonstrates the country's firm commitment to prevent the recurrence of the genocidal acts.

Lawmakers vote for the draft law against non-recognition of the crimes committed during the Democratic Kampuchea period, at the 3rd session of the 7th legislature of the National Assembly on Feb. 18, 2025

By Thyda You