The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) is Cambodia's oldest human rights organization. It was founded by a group of former political prisoners, led by Thun Saray in December 1991, shortly after the signing of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, which put an end to the long-running Cambodian Civil War.[1]
ADHOC is independent, non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental. It sets out to monitor and investigate human rights violations; provide free legal assistance and support to victims, survivors and their families; empower individuals and communities to enable them to defend their rights, and engage in advocacy work through its Central Office (located in Phnom Penh) and 17 provincial offices.
ADHOC has two main sections: The Human Rights and Land Rights Section and the Women and Children's Rights Section. The Human Rights and Land Rights Section handles complaints of human rights abuses (particularly, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, impunity and violations of fundamental freedoms) and cases of land and natural resources rights violations (including land grabbing, forced evictions and the destruction of natural resources).