A/HRC/45/56 27. OHCHR continued to advocate for a comprehensive legal aid system and for the adoption of a national legal aid policy. The Government’s legal aid budget increased to $300,000 in 2019, yet access to legal aid, overseen by multiple government institutions, remains complicated. OHCHR provided grants to NGOs to support their provision of legal aid. Through an OHCHR grant, the Community Legal Education Center provided legal advice and representation in at least 47 criminal and civil cases related to land and housing rights. While a number of these cases were sub judice, all recipients of legal aid were released under judicial supervision, thus avoiding lengthy detention during the pretrial stage. This highlights the importance of access to legal aid in the early stages of judicial processes, as the availability of legal assistance often determines whether a person can participate in relevant proceedings in a meaningful way.18 28. In July 2019, OHCHR published a report on “popular justice”,19 documenting 73 incidents of mob violence, attacks and acts of persecution against persons accused of witchcraft from 2010 to 2018. This was the first analysis of violence against such persons in Cambodia. The report identified driving factors behind such acts of violence, including long-existing prejudices, discriminatory societal attitudes, a lack of trust in the formal justice system, poverty, and lack of education. OHCHR has since worked with police to disseminate the report and to support the development and adoption of guidelines on police interventions in such cases. OHCHR also ran an associated communications campaign on popular justice for over five months on national television 20 and radio, in print, and on social media. C. Access to justice for persons with disabilities 29. OHCHR continued implementing its joint project with the United Nations Development Programme on access to justice for persons with disabilities, with a focus on capacity-building. OHCHR contributed to the development of the Government’s second National Disability Strategic Plan (2019–2023), aimed at empowering and ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities, including in the justice sector. The drafting process helped to build the capacity of the members of the Disability Action Council, a State institution responsible for streamlining national efforts on disability rights, as well as of organizations representing persons with disabilities. On 22 April 2020, OHCHR participated in a working group led by the Disability Action Council to discuss the upcoming review of the Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disability. The formal review process commenced in May 2020, and OHCHR will continue to advocate for the law to be brought into line with international human rights law, notably the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Cambodia ratified in 2012. 30. Through training programmes and direct support, OHCHR increased the capacity of civil society organizations representing persons with disabilities to document and monitor alleged human rights violations and abuses against persons with disabilities in Banteay Meanchey, Battambang and Siem Reap Provinces. These organizations referred 50 cases, including 15 cases involving women, to national judicial and non-judicial mechanisms. 31. Through an OHCHR grant, Legal Aid of Cambodia, an NGO, provided legal advice to 16 persons and legal representation to 13 other persons with physical and psychosocial disabilities. OHCHR supported this organization in developing practical guidelines on legal aid for persons with disabilities, which involved consultation with representative forums of persons with disabilities. 18 19 20 See Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 32 (2007) on the right to equality before courts and tribunals and to a fair trial, para. 10. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, People’s Court: Preventing and Responding to “Popular Justice” in Cambodia. Available at https://cambodia.ohchr.org/sites/ default/files/report/other-report/OHCHR%20Report%20EN.pdf. The public service announcement is available at https://bit.ly/2yyYuA4. 7