Cambodia Bridges to Justice launches groundbreaking iConnectJustice mobile app

On October 22, 2020, Cambodia Bridges to Justice (CBJ), IBJ’s affiliate organization in Cambodia, introduced key Cambodian justice sector stakeholders to its recently launched iConnectJustice mobile application. iConnectJustice is a smartphone app that allows Cambodians to submit their legal issues via phone and be directly connected with a lawyer who will take on their cases free of charge. To date, over 80 Cambodian lawyers from across the country have signed up to provide free legal advice and representation to vulnerable accused who would otherwise not be able to afford a lawyer.

As a leading global justice provider to the world’s most vulnerable accused, IBJ is proud to launch the iConnectJustice app in Cambodia. Given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever before, we must harness the power of technology to serve those most in need of legal defense. We can not and should not look away.  

-Andrew Ozanian, IBJ Associate Director & Technology Lead

Scores of police officers, prison officers, and military police officials attended the CBJ event, that was held in partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Justice and is part of the United Nations Democracy Fund-supported project, Ensuring the right to legal representation in Cambodia. App developer Phou Pheakdey trained participants on how to use the App to connect accused persons to lawyers from their place of detention. The App received overwhelming praise, with many participants expressing how much iConnectJustice will help them facilitate access to justice and uphold the rights of the accused.

Judicial police officers present at the event raised a number of issues with Cambodia’s current legal framework. Of particular concern is that accused persons do not have the right to access a lawyer until after they have been in detention for 24 hours or more, as stipulated in Article 98 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Following a discussion around the potential implications of this article, participants recommended that the law be amended to ensure that accused persons have the right to access a lawyer from the moment of their arrest. Participants made a number of additional recommendations and commitments to ensure that the rights of vulnerable accused are upheld. 

The following resolutions were agreed upon:

• Information discussed at the CBJ event be published and distributed to police officers nationally;
• Accused persons should have the right to a lawyer immediately after arrest;
• A defense lawyer should always present when an accused person is brought before a judge;
• A support program should be developed to help vulnerable detainees reintegrate into society so as to minimize the likelihood of re-offense; and
• The general public should be made aware of their legal rights.

For more information on the iConnectJustice mobile app, please contact IBJ Associate Director & Technology Lead Andrew Ozanian at aozanian@ibj.org.

Cambodia Bridges to Justice (CBJ) held its latest training in Phnom Penh with the help of International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) and the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia (BAKC). The event was an important milestone for CBJ, which is supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). The event accomplished two important tasks: launching the new mobile phone application “iConnectJustice” and providing lawyers with practical criminal defense skills.

iConnectJustice is the first of its kind: a legal aid app that pairs pro bono attorneys with people in need of free legal representation. The app is an innovative step toward expanding access to justice in Cambodia. Anyone can download and register to use the app’s services. Within minutes, users can enter case details that are sent to a large community of pro bono lawyers. In mere seconds, lawyers can accept a case and contact the client.

The app seeks to solve two problems hindering access to justice in Cambodia: (1) the majority of society is unable to pay for legal representation and (2) finding a lawyer can prove challenging, particularly in rural areas. iConnectJustice resolves both of these issues by making it easier than ever for citizens to request a pro bono lawyer’s services.

The lawyers at the training were eager to learn how to use the app. Participants predict this app will become popular in Cambodia, and a striking 98.6 % of attendees plan on using iConnectJustice in the future. As more lawyers register with the app, client registration is also expected to spike.

In addition to the app launch, CBJ’s training provided lawyers with practical knowledge to sharpen their criminal defense skills. The training covered topics such as “The Rights of the Accused in Cambodia”, “The Rights, Duties & Responsibilities of Defense Lawyers” and “Effective Cross-Examination and Closing Arguments.” IBJ and the BAKC enlisted Michael Karnavas as a trainer for these modules, a highly skilled defense lawyer respected in throughout the world. He shared his knowledge of the Cambodian judicial system and applied theoretical lessons to its particular challenges. Karnavas engaged attendees by sharing his experiences in court and the lessons he has learned. At the conclusion of the training, all of the attendees stated that their proficiency in Criminal Law had improved.

Karen Tse and Sanjeewa Liyanage of IBJ, experienced in conducting community-building exercises and trainings, encouraged the participants to interact with one another, sharing their stories, values, and visions for an ideal Cambodian justice system. The attendees were enthusiastic about presenting the results of their small group discussions. Six young Cambodian lawyers shared their group’s reflections on current challenges of the justice system in Cambodia and what steps they could take to improve justice overall. The participants showed that they are a new, optimistic generation of lawyers, ready to build a functioning justice system in their home country.

The event was an important milestone for IBJ Cambodia’s Program “Ensuring the Right to Legal Representation in Cambodia,” an undertaking sponsored by the United Nations Democracy Fund, which began in January 2019 and will continue through December 2020.

“Finding ways to provide access to justice to poor and vulnerable people”

During the one-day session led by CBJ’s Country Director Mr. Ouk Vandeth, the Municipal Court Prosecutor of Kandal Province, officials from the Ministry of Justice and local police officers discussed methods for providing poor and vulnerable people access to justice. The group discussed the importance of proper identification and treatment of minors, the need to improve lawyers’ access to defendants held in jails and prisons, and the requirement of obtaining sufficient evidence prior to arrest. Participants clarified how they can work together in relation to each topic.

The prosecutor spoke highly of the event, describing it as a “valuable opportunity for prosecutors, officers from the Ministry of Justice, and police officers to get together to discuss ways [to] prevent minors from [suffering] illegal treatment and [improper] identification, and allow lawyers to meet […] defendants in prison.”

Officers listen in as Mr. Ouk Vandeth introduces the discussion topics to the stakeholders.

The police officers agreed with the prosecutor’s request for lawyers to have access to clients in the prison (or police stations) beginning 24 hours after intake, so that accusations of illegal interrogation procedures will be known to the lawyer prior to the trial. Police officers also agreed to advise the accused of their rights while in custody (Article 43 of the Code of Criminal Procedure).

Moreover, IBJ Cambodia’s Technology Manager Phou Pheakdey introduced the new iConnectJustice app and hotline to the prosecutor and police officers. The app and hotline will allow individuals accused of crimes as well as their families to contact available pro-bono lawyers including IBJ lawyers for representation. All parties commended the app and hotline, and gave suggestions on how to advertise and simplify the iConnectJustice program for use by people in provincial areas.

Mr. Phou Pheakdey introduces the iConnectJustice application and hotline to the justice stakeholders.

IBJ’s work in Cambodia

Cambodians continue to confront challenges as the country rebuilds its judicial system two decades following the end its internal conflict. Numerous obstacles to justice exist, and the accused are regularly deprived of due process rights. Bureaucratic challenges together with a shortage of lawyers — especially in the provinces — has constrained early access to a lawyer by the accused. IBJ aims to amplify people’s legal rights and prevent violations of due process through providing early access to lawyers in over ten provinces. As a part of this mission, IBJ trains defense lawyers via live and online training sessions. IBJ also promotes rights awareness by organizing street law campaigns, radio talk shows, and other public events. Finally, IBJ hosts roundtables such as this one to help create a collaborative platform among justice stakeholders to seek solutions to problems affecting effective and efficient access to justice to vulnerable populations.

IBJ’s newest initiative in Cambodia involves the development of accessibility tools such as the iConnectJustice app, a legal hotline, and an automated Facebook bot system. These tools will not only help individuals to have greater access to lawyers, but will also help lawyers to access legal information and manage their caseloads. Furthermore, IBJ will be able to track legal needs across Cambodia using data obtained through the tools.

Contact details and further information

If you have any questions about IBJ’s country program in Cambodia, please contact:

Sanjeewa Liyanage                                        or                     Ouk Vandeth

International Program Director, IBJ                                        Country Director, CBJ

Phone: +41(0) 22 731 24 41                                                  Phone: +855 70 857 529

Email: sliyanage@ibj.org                                                        Email: ibj_vandeth@online.com.kh

To follow IBJ’s project in Cambodia, connect with IBJ on Facebook.

Geneva, Switzerland – 18 December 2018 – IBJ today announced the launch of a new project in Cambodia, funded by The United Nations Democracy Fund. The project will commence on 1 January 2019 and run over 24 months. It will result in the creation of legal rights knowledge online tools for the public; early access to justice for vulnerable individuals living in Cambodia; and policy reform to increase the capacity of Cambodia’s legal system.

Project deliverables and objectives

The project aims to amplify people’s legal rights, facilitate access to justice and prevent violations of due process through the development of technology tools such as the iConnectJustice mobile application and the call and SMS system. These legal tools will enable the accused, friends and family to learn their rights and reach lawyers for legal assistance. Additionally, the project will also organize collaborative roundtables between lawyers, members of the judiciary and legal advocates to promote the iConnectJustice tools and advocate for the adoption of policy resolutions that increase the capacity of the local legal defense community.

IBJ’s work in Cambodia

IBJ has been working on the ground in Cambodia since 2005. IBJ provides access to high quality free legal aid services to the poorest in 15 out of 25 provinces and in the Court of Appeal, supported through its seven Defender Resource Centers. In Cambodia, IBJ provided legal representation to over 7000 people, and twice as many through its Community Legal Awareness events.

Added to that, IBJ has conducted over 70 Prison Legal Awareness events and close to 50 roundtable discussions with stakeholders in the legal field, from judges to defenders, prosecutors and police. The widest impact to date has been achieved through 32 radio awareness campaigns reaching millions of Cambodians at a public level, and through over 20 defender/ justice sector officials joint training workshops at provincial policy levels.

About UNDEF

UNDEF was created by UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan in 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund to support democratization efforts around the world. It was welcomed by the General Assembly in the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit (A/RES/60/1, paragraphs 136-137), (click here to read the PDF).  UNDEF funds projects that empower civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes. The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations -both in the transition and consolidation phases of democratization.

About IBJ

In recognition of the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is dedicated to protecting the basic legal rights of ordinary individuals in developing countries. Specifically, IBJ works to guarantee all individuals the right to competent legal representation, the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial.

For further information, please contact (media requests):

International Bridges to Justice
Sanjeewa Sliyanage
International Program Director
Phone: +41(0) 22 731 24 41
Email: sliyanage@ibj.org

Judge Svay Tonh ruled on Friday that Reaksmay was unlawfully imprisoned for drug trafficking due to her age. Arrested as a 13-year-old, 10 days prior to turning 14, Reaksmay was under the age of criminal responsibility at the time.

Ouk Vandeth, her lawyer and director of IBJ Cambodia, said the judge had concluded from her small stature that Reaksmay could not possibly be 20 years old, as the police report claimed, and ruled that her detention was “unjust”.

A hearing on the drug-trafficking charge will still proceed, but Reaksmay will not face further jail time even if she is found guilty.

“The court just went ahead based on the police report, which didn’t include her birth certificate,” said Vandeth.

Despite her young age, Reaksmay endured 8 months in an overcrowded cell in Prey Sar, in poor sanitary conditions. Unfortunately, she is not alone: 2 in 3 Cambodia prisoners are pre-trial detainees – people who are accused or merely suspected of having committed a crime. Many youth languish in prison without legal representation, with over 600 minors and young prisoners kept in Cambodian prisons.

Reaksmay’s release marks a turning point for juvenile justice. In Cambodia and its other country programs, IBJ is dedicated to ensuring that all ordinary individuals, and youth in particular, have access to justice.

*IBJ previously wrote about Chhay Reaksmay under a pseudonym, Chanlina, to protect her privacy. Her case has since been featured by the Phnom Penh Post and the Herald Sun.

Through JustGiving, you can now make a small donation to ensure that Chanlina, a 13 year-old girl currently detained at a prison in Cambodia, is released and able to go back to school. JustGiving is a global social platform for giving that makes a real difference to causes everywhere.

Despite her young age, Chanlina has currently spent over eight months in a cell along with 87 other prisoners awaiting trial for a crime that she did not commit. In Cambodia, the minimum age for detention is 14 years old, however, since Chanlina is adopted and has no birth certificate to establish her true age, she is being charged as an adult. She passes each day in her cell with no friends, little food, no schooling for her illiteracy, and “feels as if [she] has no purpose”.

After meeting with Chanlina and her adopted mother, IBJ Cambodia’s country manager Ouk Vandeth decided to represent Chanlina on a pro bono basis. Due to the continued postponement of her trial date, Chanlina continues to sleep alone on little more than a plastic bag spread out on the concrete floor of her crowded cell.

Just a small donation can change Chanlina’s life. With your support, we can get Chanlina out of prison, reunite her with her desperate mother, and get her back to school.

Visit JustGiving and donate now.

Some names have been changed to protect privacy.

Keo Dara with IBJ Lawyer Sim Dalis.

Keo Dara lives in a small village in the Takeo Province of southwest Cambodia with his wife and nine year old son. He is well liked in his community, as he is both the director and a teacher at the local primary school.

Dara cares deeply about his students and their wellbeing. Therefore, when he found out that fifty-five year old Sok Davuth had attempted to sell his students narcotics, he promptly alerted the authorities. Unfortunately, it took many reports by Dara to the police until action was taken against Sok Davuth.

On June 1, 2015, the police arrived at Dara’s home and asked him to come into the station to help clarify the details of the case. Happy to oblige, Dara went willingly with the police to the station. He thought that he was going to identify Sok Davuth as a drug trafficker to children and provide more evidence the police. Instead, he was arrested under Chapter X, Section 6 of the Cambodian Law on the Control of Drugs as an accomplice to Davuth and charged with drug trafficking!

While in disbelief that he was arrested under drug trafficking charges, Dara was confident that he would be released soon as he knew he was innocent. However, after five days in police custody, his confidence began to waver upon realization that he was facing up to five years in prison. Incredibly frightened and overwhelmed when police sent him to prison to await further discretion by the prosecutor, Dara was unsure of what to do and who to contact. He began to feel hopeless in the small room alongside 80 other prisoners. Luckily, he saw one of IBJ’s posters in the courthouse, which explained how to get in contact with one of their lawyers.

Dara called the office and Mr. Ly Kosal, IBJ’s provincial lawyer in Takeo, agreed to take the case and began to prepare for Dara’s defense. Dara was relieved and hopeful that IBJ’s representation would lead to the dropping of his charges so that he could return home to his wife, son, and students.

Within five days, Kosal prepared testimonies from local leaders that showed Dara’s good standing in the community and presented that evidence alongside the fact that the police had no evidence against Dara. After hearing Kosal’s well-prepared defense, the prosecutor dropped all charges against Dara and he was released from prison.

Dara is grateful for IBJ’s willingness to represent him and the successful outcome of his release. However, this is not always the case. Many Cambodians face several months of pretrial detention on charges as weak as those leveled against Dara due to lack of representation. IBJ continues to focus on reaching defendants as quickly as possible in order reduce prison overcrowding, expedite cases that congest the court system, and return innocent individuals to their family, friends, and community.

By Clay Coffey

Names have been changed for this story. The client and his family consented for their story to be shared.

is what is needed for this justice to continue”

Sim Dalis is a full time IBJ coordinator and part time attorney who has been working with IBJ for over five years.

On December 23, 2013, a group of neighbors in Koh Kong, a province in southwest Cambodia, were gathered together watching television when two men suddenly entered their home on the ground floor. The men were masked and armed with knives and two guns. They approached the family, pointed their guns and yelled for them to lay down on the ground. The two men then proceeded to rob the group of all their money and jewelry. When Narith who was lying on the ground proclaimed that he had no money, one of the men fatally stabbed him on his neck with a large cleaver. The men fled soon after with almost 1 million in riels and jewelry.

While at home with his family, Sokun heard of the murder of his friend. He immediately ran over to the house to assist the family in the aftermath of this tragedy and with arranging the funeral. Unfortunately, a few days later on January 1, 2014, Sokun was arrested for Narith’s murder. Police said that his shirt was found at the crime scene despite his alibi that he was at home with family. Sokun could not believe that he was charged with this murder! He went to Narith’s home to help out the family and mourn the loss of his friend.

Kosal was at a nearby cafe with friends when he heard of the murder. Their village is small and neighbors from all around the village soon began to head over to the place of the crime to help out. He was saddened by the loss of his friends and the damage done to his community. Police arrested him a week later on January 1 as well on suspicion that a package of rice found at his house was from the scene of the crime. Despite witnesses’ statements that he was at the cafe, police detained him.

Both Sokun and Kosal were very confused as to why they were arrested. They were arrested under various charges including murder, theft, and aggravating circumstances. Fear and panic began to take over as they realized that they could face a lengthy sentence for crimes that they did not commit. After a lengthy investigatory phase, they were acquitted on all charges. However, the prosecutor appealed the acquittal and Sokun and Kosal were once again in prison.

In February 2016, Sokun and Kosal’s family members contacted IBJ to represent them on appeal. Sim Dalis poured over the court documents to develop the best case theory to present to the judge on appeal. She determined that there was just no evidence tying Sokun and Kosal to the crime scene. Additionally, testimony by witnesses that Sokun and Kosal were at their home or at the cafe respectively could help her clients be cleared of the charges. Even the children of the victim said that the the Sokun and Kosal were not similar in build and stature to the men that murdered their father! Dalis was confident that she had a strong case and was ready to defend her clients against an unjust conviction.

On March 22, 2016, Dalis argued in front of the judge that the evidence just did not add up. The judge delivered the verdict a bit later and dismissed both Sokun and Kosal’s charges on appeal. Both were thrilled to have the charges dropped and happy to return to their families.

Content and satisfied that justice had been delivered, Dalis continues to advocate daily for those who have been wrongly accused. She seeks to promote a more equal justice system in Cambodia by working with IBJ defending the most vulnerable.

By Jenessy Rodriguez