A/HRC/24/36 were delivering a training course on land rights issues in Patang village. Despite a letter to the Village Chief of Patang to inform him of the training session, law enforcement officials interrupted the session. Law enforcement officials also accused ADHOC of undertaking “incitement activities” and warned both men to leave the area, otherwise their security would not be guaranteed. Concerns were expressed that the disruption of the human rights training course and the threats against the two staff members might have been related to the exercise of their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression and of association. 10. Another joint urgent appeal was sent on 29 August 2012 with the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The letter addressed charges brought against Mr. Mam Sonando, director and owner of independent radio station 105 (Beehive Radio). Mr. Sonando was the subject of a number of communications submitted to the Government of Cambodia on behalf of special procedures of the Human Rights Council, including an urgent appeal letter sent on 14 October 2005 and an allegation letter of 28 February 2006. On 16 July 2012, Mr. Sonando (president of an NGO established to promote democratic freedoms and raise awareness of civil political rights) was formally charged by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in accordance with six articles derived from the Penal Code including “insurrection” and “inciting people to take up arms against the authorities”. Reports suggested that the charges brought against Mr. Sonando might have stemmed from a speech made by Prime Minister Hun Sen in which Mr. Sonando was accused of instigating a plot for a village in Kratie Province to secede from Cambodia and become an independent state. The Prime Minister’s speech came a day after Beehive Radio had broadcast a report about a complaint lodged in the International Criminal Court on 22 June, accusing the Government of committing crimes against humanity by displacing thousands of people through forced evictions. Concern was expressed that the alleged arrest, detention and sentencing of Mr. Sonando might have been directly related to his legitimate work in raising awareness of civil and political rights in Cambodia. There was also concern that the charges brought against him might have represented a direct attempt to prevent him from exercising his legitimate right to freedom of expression. 11. Further, a joint allegation letter sent on 25 October 2012 concerned Mr. Sonando’s trial, and was also written by the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. On 1 October 2012, Mr. Sonando was found guilty of being the instigator of an insurrectionary movement, inciting people to take arms against State authority, obstruction of public officials with aggravating circumstances, and unlawful interference in the discharge of public functions. Mr. Sonando reportedly contracted a serious respiratory infection in prison and required access to the necessary medical care. Serious concern was expressed that the long prison sentence imposed on Mr. Sonando might have represented a direct attempt to prevent him from exercising his legitimate right to freedom of expression. Further, concern was expressed at allegations received indicating that Mr. Sonando’s situation could have been linked to his activities in the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms. 12. On 15 March 2013, the Special Rapporteur welcomed, through a press statement, the release of Mr. Sonando following the decision of the Cambodian Court of Appeal on 14 March 2013. He noted that the Court of Appeal had found that there was no evidence to support many of the charges, after first instance sentences of periods up to 20 years on charges including instigating insurrection. He also noted that some of the significant defects in the original trial, which were highlighted by some of his interlocutors with whom the 6