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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Amnesty International has accused Cambodia's government of using its grip on the judiciary system to intimidate human rights defenders and political activists ahead of local elections.
The London-based rights group said in a report Tuesday that since the 2013 general election, longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen's government has used the courts as a tool to imprison at least 27 prominent opposition officials, human rights defenders and land activists, as well as hundreds of others facing legal cases.
The report said, "In the four years since the national election in July 2013, the country's government and the ruling Cambodian People's Party have used the criminal justice system to target activists and restrict the space they operate within."
The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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