This file photo shows Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun being lead out of court during their trial in Phnom Penh in 2004. Two men jailed for murdering Cambodian labour leader Chea Vichea were wrongly convicted and must be released, international rights groups has said, just days before a court hearing that could see the pair freed.(AFP/File/Cambodge Soir)PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Two men jailed for murdering Cambodian labour leader Chea Vichea were wrongly convicted and must be released, international rights groups has said, just days before a court hearing that could see the pair freed.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were convicted last year of the January 2004 killing of Chea Vichea, head of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, which campaigned for garment workers' rights.
They were arrested shortly after the daylight shooting and were each sentenced to 20 years in prison after what Amnesty International called a "deeply flawed criminal investigation and trial".
Amnesty and the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) argue that there is no evidence linking the pair to the killing, and that even the former Phnom Penh police chief who led the investigation admitted in August the two had nothing to do with Chea Vichea's death.
The popular labour leader, who frequently lashed out at Prime Minister Hun Sen, was gunned down at a Phnom Penh news stand in what many condemned as a politically-motivated assassination.
The handling of his case sparked criticism from the United Nations and international labour organisations. Chea Vichea's family proclaimed the innocence of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, as did former King Norodom Sihanouk.
In another blow to the case against the two, a key witness came forward last week to dispute the charges.
Va Sothy, a seller at the news stand where Chea Vichea was killed, released a four-page document stating that the two men were not the murderers, said Khov Chantha, lawyer for Sok Sam Oeun.
Khov Chantha said that the witness, fearing for her safety, has left Cambodia, but it was not clear where she was now.
"This new testimony from the prime eyewitness to the murder is the final blow to a prosecution case that was critically flawed from the beginning," said Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director.
"Evidence of the innocence of these two men has steadily mounted since the day they were arrested. It's time for the Cambodian courts to put an end to this charade and release them," he added in a statement.
The two will come before Cambodia's appeals court on Friday and could be freed.
"The ... hearing against the two men's convictions will be yet another test of the competence and independence of Cambodia's much-maligned judiciary," Human Rights Watch said.
In a separate statement released Wednesday, the International Confederation Of Free Trade Unions demanded a new investigation into the killing be opened.
"The government's inaction means impunity for the real killer (s), and sends a clear message to Cambodian workers -- trade union membership and activity means that their safety is at risk," it said.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were convicted last year of the January 2004 killing of Chea Vichea, head of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, which campaigned for garment workers' rights.
They were arrested shortly after the daylight shooting and were each sentenced to 20 years in prison after what Amnesty International called a "deeply flawed criminal investigation and trial".
Amnesty and the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) argue that there is no evidence linking the pair to the killing, and that even the former Phnom Penh police chief who led the investigation admitted in August the two had nothing to do with Chea Vichea's death.
The popular labour leader, who frequently lashed out at Prime Minister Hun Sen, was gunned down at a Phnom Penh news stand in what many condemned as a politically-motivated assassination.
The handling of his case sparked criticism from the United Nations and international labour organisations. Chea Vichea's family proclaimed the innocence of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, as did former King Norodom Sihanouk.
In another blow to the case against the two, a key witness came forward last week to dispute the charges.
Va Sothy, a seller at the news stand where Chea Vichea was killed, released a four-page document stating that the two men were not the murderers, said Khov Chantha, lawyer for Sok Sam Oeun.
Khov Chantha said that the witness, fearing for her safety, has left Cambodia, but it was not clear where she was now.
"This new testimony from the prime eyewitness to the murder is the final blow to a prosecution case that was critically flawed from the beginning," said Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director.
"Evidence of the innocence of these two men has steadily mounted since the day they were arrested. It's time for the Cambodian courts to put an end to this charade and release them," he added in a statement.
The two will come before Cambodia's appeals court on Friday and could be freed.
"The ... hearing against the two men's convictions will be yet another test of the competence and independence of Cambodia's much-maligned judiciary," Human Rights Watch said.
In a separate statement released Wednesday, the International Confederation Of Free Trade Unions demanded a new investigation into the killing be opened.
"The government's inaction means impunity for the real killer (s), and sends a clear message to Cambodian workers -- trade union membership and activity means that their safety is at risk," it said.
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