US Deputy Secretary Of State Urges Cambodia To Free Political Prisoners - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2018) US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan during a meeting with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon called on Phnom Penh to release political prisoners and remove restrictions on the opposition, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press release on Friday.

"The Deputy Secretary urged the government of Cambodia to take tangible actions to promote national reconciliation, including freeing political prisoners, ending the ban on the political opposition, and allowing civil society and media to operate freely," Nauert said referring to the meeting held on Thursday.

Earlier this year, the Cambodian government detained 30 political prisoners, including supporters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), human rights advocates, activists, and journalists, for criticizing the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) or Hun Sen, according to Human Rights Watch.

During the meeting that is a part of the East Asia Summit, the officials also discussed the countries' bilateral relations and US ideas regarding a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The East Asia Summit that took place in Singapore November 14-15 is a regional forum held by leaders of the East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian states based on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officials' meetings.