A/HRC/36/61 Rights Day on 10 December. The prohibition extends to the designated public space created by the Government for the organization of static gatherings (Freedom Park), which has been moved away from the centre of Phnom Penh. 47. Concern remains over the raft of laws (on associations and NGOs, on the election of members of the National Assembly, on trade unions, on peaceful demonstrations) that can be used to restrict freedom of assembly and association and freedom of expression. The Special Rapporteur reiterates her recommendation that the Government ensure that those laws are applied in a way that fully respects the human rights treaties that Cambodia has ratified. Moreover, the application of such laws should be regularly reviewed and, if necessary, revised. 48. The murder of Kem Ley on 10 July 2016 shocked the Cambodian public. On 23 March 2017, Oeuth Ang was convicted of the killing and sentenced to life in prison. Kem Ley’s funeral procession (24 July 2016) and 100-day procession (15-16 October 2017), which attracted thousands of Cambodians, passed without incident. Both events had been threatened with bans and restrictions. The Special Rapporteur has received many petitions raising concerns over the perceived lack of transparency concerning the death of Kem Ley and the motive behind his murder. An independent political analyst, Kim Sok, has been in pretrial detention since 17 February 2017 on defamation and incitement charges for publically expressing his opinion that the ruling party was responsible for the killing of Kem Ley. Thak Lany was also convicted for alleged comments on this matter. 49. Taken together, these incidents and misapplication of laws has had the effect of restricting civil society space and diminishing the perceived democratic space in the country. There has been a negative trend whereby political activists, human rights defenders and journalists continue to face restrictions when exercising human rights and fundamental freedoms. This is particularly problematic during election years, when many Cambodians wish to petition political parties, partake in political rallies and generally exercise the rights protected in the Constitution and the laws of Cambodia, as well as in the international human rights treaties to which Cambodia is party. Balancing the need to maintain public order and security with freedoms of expression, assembly and association can be challenging. The consistent, reasoned, non-discriminatory application by the judiciary and other public authorities of the relevant laws and criminal code provisions, with due regard to the human rights obligations of Cambodia, is essential. V. Land rights and housing 50. Land rights remain a major issue of concern in Cambodia, despite the ongoing efforts of the Government to review economic land concessions. 51. It remains imperative that land disputes be resolved definitively on clear and transparent grounds by appropriate bodies. As noted above, with regard to indigenous peoples, ever more complications arise. In the case of the Suoy indigenous community, an area of land was the subject of successful individual land title claims while simultaneously being the subject of a communal land title claim (see para. 27 above). 52. During her mission in October 2016, the Special Rapporteur undertook a field visit to Kampong Speu Province to assess the human rights situations of communities affected by sugar concessions. Phnom Penh Sugar Co. Ltd. and Kampong Speu Sugar Co. Ltd. received economic land concessions for adjacent areas. Those concessions were for sugar cane plantations and sugar processing. The Special Rapporteur met with many individuals who claimed to have been made destitute by the loss of farmland to concessions. Many claimed to have received inadequate compensation and to have been unaware of what they were agreeing to when their land was removed. Many also had little official land title documentation to the lands in question. As with the situation reported in Preah Vihear Province (see A/HRC/33/62, para. 40) and in Koh Kong and Stung Treng Provinces (see A/HRC/33/62, para. 42), there were issues with the adequacy of compensation and the appropriateness of relocation sites, as well as concerns expressed by the concession holder at the number of disputes faced years after the concession had been granted by the Government. Complaints were also received from the authorities and from key NGOs over 13