Cambodian Defenders Project

Visions of CDP's Leadership

We believe that:

Everybody needs JUSTICE. We do not believe that only the rich men and high rank officials do not need justice. The law must be implemented and applied equally. Everybody must be equal before the law.

Wherever there is pressure, there is potential for revolution. But, Cambodian had enough armed revolution over the last thirty plus years. We need a peaceful revolution or revolution of pen. We should change Cambodia by legal reform not armed forces.

Freedom of expression, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and the right to demonstrate are important, but they are only the fruits of democracy. The fruits may be not good or poisonous if the roots of the tree are not strong enough. Therefore, CDP believes that in order to have stable democracy, we need to build democratic foundation. There should be seperation of power, independence of judiciary, neutral and professional police and armed forces and competent legal professionals.

The human rights of all Cambodians are respected and protected by the institutions of a liberal democracy and the rule of law.

Our Missions

We work with many of partners to promote the full range of human rights for all Cambodian people by providing legal representation to the poor and vulnerable, and by strengthening the institutions required for a liberal democracy and for the rule of law.