PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Armed police broke up a protest Tuesday to demand the release of two men who rights organizations say were wrongly convicted of murdering a prominent Cambodian labor union leader in 2004.
About 50 people, including family members of the two men, demonstrated at the police headquarters in the capital, Phnom Penh, but were quickly dispersed by two dozen officers, some armed with assault rifles and batons, witnesses said.
Chea Vichea, an outspoken critic of government corruption and human rights abuses, was gunned down in January 2004 at a roadside newsstand in the capital, Phnom Penh. Vichea was the former head of Cambodia's Free Trade Union of Workers.
Two men - Born Samnang, 25, and Sok Sam Oeun, 38 - were convicted of murdering Vichea on Aug. 1, 2005 and are serving 20-year prison sentences.
Britain-based rights group Amnesty International said in a statement the case "reeks of injustice" called the two convicted men "scapegoats" for Chea Vichea's murder.
After being dispersed from the police station, demonstrators continued their protest at a nearby Buddhist pagoda, releasing birds to symbolize their appeal for the pair's freedom.
"I plead with the government to release my son. The court has wrongly convicted him," said Nguon Phon, 62, the father of Sok Sam Oeun.
Human rights organizations have voiced skepticism over the trial and called it politically motivated, saying the convictions were based on statements the two men made under pressure.
Amnesty International said there was no evidence at last year's trial that linked the men to the killing, and called on the government to release them and open a new investigation into the murder.
Retired King Norodom Sihanouk has also said the two men are not the real killers of Chea Vichea.
About 50 people, including family members of the two men, demonstrated at the police headquarters in the capital, Phnom Penh, but were quickly dispersed by two dozen officers, some armed with assault rifles and batons, witnesses said.
Chea Vichea, an outspoken critic of government corruption and human rights abuses, was gunned down in January 2004 at a roadside newsstand in the capital, Phnom Penh. Vichea was the former head of Cambodia's Free Trade Union of Workers.
Two men - Born Samnang, 25, and Sok Sam Oeun, 38 - were convicted of murdering Vichea on Aug. 1, 2005 and are serving 20-year prison sentences.
Britain-based rights group Amnesty International said in a statement the case "reeks of injustice" called the two convicted men "scapegoats" for Chea Vichea's murder.
After being dispersed from the police station, demonstrators continued their protest at a nearby Buddhist pagoda, releasing birds to symbolize their appeal for the pair's freedom.
"I plead with the government to release my son. The court has wrongly convicted him," said Nguon Phon, 62, the father of Sok Sam Oeun.
Human rights organizations have voiced skepticism over the trial and called it politically motivated, saying the convictions were based on statements the two men made under pressure.
Amnesty International said there was no evidence at last year's trial that linked the men to the killing, and called on the government to release them and open a new investigation into the murder.
Retired King Norodom Sihanouk has also said the two men are not the real killers of Chea Vichea.
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