Civil Society Groups Ask Sweden to “Not Abandon” Cambodia Amid Democratic Decline
22 December 2020
VOA Khmer
FILE PHOTO - Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng and Swedish Minister of the Interior Anders Ygeman smile after signing a cooperation agreement between the two countries in Stockholm, Sweden, May 25, 2015. (REUTERS)
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PHNOM PENH
More than 110 civil society organizations have urged the Swedish government to reverse a decision in November to move its embassy to Thailand, an action observer said at the time was linked to Cambodia’s democratic backslide.
116 local groups penned a letter to Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde asking her to “not abandon” the work done by Sweden to advance “Cambodia’s democratic governance and rule of law.”
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Sweden said Tuesday it had not been granted consular access to a Swedish-Iranian dissident who is detained in Iran after disappearing during a visit to Turkey in October.
Iran s state media in November reported the arrest of Habib Chaab, a political dissident living in exile in Sweden.
A spokesman for Sweden s foreign ministry said Tuesday its diplomats had still not been given consular access to Chaab, who has Swedish citizenship. Immediately when we learned of the reports we investigated through our foreign missions in Turkey and Iran. The case has also been raised with Turkey s and Iran s ambassadors to Stockholm, Erik Karlsson at the foreign ministry told AFP.