In prison for 1,700 days as of todayTuesday, September 23, 2008
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A leading Cambodian human rights group renewed its call Tuesday for the release of two men believed to have been framed for murdering a prominent labor leader and government critic.
The "gross injustice" against Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun must end because they are innocent, the Cambodian human rights group Licadho said in a statement.
The men are serving 20-year prison terms for the 2004 killing of Chea Vichea, the former head of Cambodia's Free Trade Union of Workers and an outspoken critic of government corruption and human rights abuses.
Licadho and other rights groups say Cambodian authorities have made the men scapegoats to conceal the real killer.
Dozens of people, including relatives of the murdered union leader and the convicted men, staged a peaceful rally Tuesday near the Phnom Penh prison where the pair is detained.
They released 1,700 white balloons symbolizing the number of days the men have been imprisoned.
"They are not the killers of my brother," Chea Mony, the younger brother of slain union leader Chea Vichea, said. "Please do not lose your hope. There will be the day you will get the justice you have long been denied."
Cambodian courts - seen by critics as being corrupt and susceptible to political influence - have drawn heavy criticism at home and abroad for their handling of the case.
Critics have said the courts have persistently ignored key evidence, including witness testimonies that the two men were not at the crime scene the day the killing took place.
"Every day longer that these two men remain in prison only imposes greater suffering and hardship on them and their families, and draws more attention to the appalling state of Cambodia's justice system," the group's director, Naly Pilorge, said in the statement Tuesday.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun are awaiting a hearing at the country's Supreme Court to appeal their conviction, Pilorge said.
The "gross injustice" against Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun must end because they are innocent, the Cambodian human rights group Licadho said in a statement.
The men are serving 20-year prison terms for the 2004 killing of Chea Vichea, the former head of Cambodia's Free Trade Union of Workers and an outspoken critic of government corruption and human rights abuses.
Licadho and other rights groups say Cambodian authorities have made the men scapegoats to conceal the real killer.
Dozens of people, including relatives of the murdered union leader and the convicted men, staged a peaceful rally Tuesday near the Phnom Penh prison where the pair is detained.
They released 1,700 white balloons symbolizing the number of days the men have been imprisoned.
"They are not the killers of my brother," Chea Mony, the younger brother of slain union leader Chea Vichea, said. "Please do not lose your hope. There will be the day you will get the justice you have long been denied."
Cambodian courts - seen by critics as being corrupt and susceptible to political influence - have drawn heavy criticism at home and abroad for their handling of the case.
Critics have said the courts have persistently ignored key evidence, including witness testimonies that the two men were not at the crime scene the day the killing took place.
"Every day longer that these two men remain in prison only imposes greater suffering and hardship on them and their families, and draws more attention to the appalling state of Cambodia's justice system," the group's director, Naly Pilorge, said in the statement Tuesday.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun are awaiting a hearing at the country's Supreme Court to appeal their conviction, Pilorge said.
21 comments:
Even a bling monkey can tell that these two innocent people were scapegoated as soon as Chea Vichea was murdered by the ruling party (CPP).
The answer is simple: if the government released them, they'll be exculpated (from the crime in which they were falsely accused of perpetrating), and the government is the guilty of the murder of Chea Vichea. Of course, the kangaroo court will rubber stamp the verdic in favor of its boss (Hun Sen).
Corrections and verificiations:
Bling = blind
90% OF THE CCP MEMBER IS FUCKING VIETNAMESE!! (HOR NAM HONG)HIS REAL NAMES IS (HO NAM HONG) THE SAME LAST NAME ( HO CHI MINH. HUN SEN IS NOT KHMER NEITHER HIS REAL NAME IS (HUYNH SEN) SO IS VAR KIM HONG HIS REAL NAME IS ( HOANG KIM HONG) ALL OF THESE MOTHERFUCKER IS TRULY PURE VIETNAMESE. CAMBODIAN PEOPLE NEED TO WAKE UP!!!!AND TAKE THESE MOTHERFUCKER DOWN!!!
Cambodia will not let convicts out to persecute law-abiding citizens like they do in the west.
2:40 PM
Speaking of law, you people have no idea what law is?
Also, we're certain that you considered Mr. Hun Sen as a law-abiding citizen, too. It's sad, you people decided to convict these two innocent men in the kangaroo court to cover your guilt. Everyone knows that these men were scapegoated by the government -- nothing more.
The Hun Sen's administration must be ashamed.
PM Hun Sen is a 100% law-abiding citizen. What made you thing otherwise? What had he done? Would you mind let us in on it?
5:19 PM
I was once with the ruling party, and, of course, I could reveal all; however, my revelation of Mr. Hun Sen will serve me absolutely nothing. In fact, everyone in this forum knows that he (Mr. Hun Sen)is (and was)behind every unsovled mystery murdering. Moreover, Mr. Hun Sen has become quite expert with the killing spree with the help of the Vietnamese government. Need I say more?
I often saw the “showing force” propaganda of CPP police force in an emission of APSARA TV. CPP/Apsara passes in boucle the people who cpp police designed as robbers or delinquents. Apsara show the big plan picture with whole clear visage of those people with arms tied up and crimes munitions, arm or other materials. There is no a tiny respect of basic rights and dignity of those people especially while the cpp police cant even prove if those people are really committed crimes held against them. Most of those people look dirty, skinny, miserable, looking as those who seeking something to fill stomach than criminals while the cpp officers are fate like pig with big belly. I believe, first of all, CPP seeks to show us that they are efficient in fighting against crime and delinquency in Cambodia as cpp tried to hide its malaise in fighting against all the horrible crimes and disorders committed often by relative (sons, families) of cpp high officers and no matter how much those criminals did, they are never being punished or jell. So cpp and its ally must find other responsible who are hungry little and miserable delinquents.
Veda
Yes Hun Sen abide by jungle laws so stop bullshit if you are not animal like us and let us be in the coo coo world like we from Kampuchea democratic.
Nonsense, 6:11, everyone in this forum is anti-Hun Sen. They have been accusing him of many things but don't have a drop of proof.
Hun Sen is law abiding since day one (he is innocent like a new born baby).
Now we are at day 2 on the CPP calendar.
So if the court says that the two men are guilty, I believe they are.
Because the Cambodian Judiciary system are impartial since day two.
I'm looking forward to day three.
A vietcong government will not let a crime slip away unpunished right Sok Anh?
This statement should be an example to HUN SEN.
I saw this article from Thai's news.
Surapong: I will take a brake
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said on Thursday he would not accept any ministerial post in the Somchai government.
Surapong said he had notified the People Power Party (PPP) his intention.
"Since Samak (former prime minister Samak Sundaravej) stepped down and his Cabinet had to leave office as a result, I have no intention to carry on my work to set a norm. I inform my party at the meeting that I am not attached to my positions and I am not stubborn. I would like to take a brake and I request the party not to propose me to any political post temporarily,'' Surapong said.
He said his decision had nothing to do with the failure to be nominated as PM by Newin faction.
Surapong was among the three PPP leaders vied for PM, besides Somchai Wongsawat and Sompong Amornwiwat, both PPP deputy leaders.
Read this article, HUN SEN should do the same if he wants to live happily in peace. And no one is going to harm him. And for the better of the country.
Khmer Phnom Pehn,
I believe there are plenty of proofs in which hun sen and his ally are involved in. It is just on the consideration and valor of people. Beside direct crimes, properly say, in which hun sen and his government involved in, there are other evident crimes, direct consequence of cpp/yuon wide rule like :
- wide pillage and destroying of Cambodian natural resources by hun sen and its ally in detriment of Cambodian nation and her people.
- extreme poverty which concern majority of ordinary Khmer people, left for death
- poor basic health care and food poisoning in which hun sen government took no serious measures to reduce or stop but leave Khmer people get kill by it to be replaced by the yuons - crimes of all kinds often committed by people of hun sen government itself.
- Hun sen is from a poor sinokhmer family, with no heritage but now hun sen and bunary, his sinoviet wife, own most everything in Cambodia, big companies, schools, hospitals, public building, monuments, pagoda etc..etc and as majority of cpp officers, they live on gold, big and luxious cars and villas, spend dollars like leafs while majority of Khmer people live miserably under the poverty link. If you look around the world, only criminals and dictators who and its big statue and names stamped on everything this including Hitler, Polpot, Sadam, Mao, Stalin, ..etc as if these criminals fear of something, perhaps of their too much crimes committed. Where hun sen and his people find money if they didn’t rob it from international aides destine to improve poor life condition of Khmer people? Those things are already called crimes though not yet included properly said organized crimes by hun sen gov against those who struggle against cpp yuon slave regime …
Personally I have no animosity against hun sen neither yuons but I’m fully against the crimes committed these criminals against civil innocents
Veda
6:11 PM
I don't know why the vietcong and the CPP supporters are posting their stinky comments here?
Who are they trying to fool. The whole world knows that the CPP are vietminh with their half khmer name, they are the ones behind the killings and the disorder in the country.
So brothers there something we can do for now we can boycott ah Yuon products.
Everyone needs to keep your eyes wide open for the impending CTN Network, because Ms. Hun Manna will (undoubtedly)make it to come to its demise. Mr. Kith Meng, I hate to see you on the blacklist as those past victims by Mr. Hun Sen and his family. Oh! If you (Meng)smart, make a quick move and court Ms. Mann, or your business will spell trouble for you in the near future. Of course, this is a friendly warning, whether or not you heed my warning or not, the choice is yours. And the train is heading toward your direction.
Hun Sen and his gangster CPP had killed Mr. Chea Vichea.
Nothing to do with these two mans.
1:39 AM
Mr. Hun Sen directed the court to throw quilty verdict of these two men, because if these men were to exonerated -- Mr. Hun Sen will be the culprit. Everyone in Cambodia knows that these men were scapgoated.
1:39 AM
Mr. Hun Sen directed the court to toss quilty verdict of these men to avoid probing investigation into the murder of Mr. Chea Vichea, because if these men were to be exonerated or exculpated -- Mr. Hun Sen will be the culprit. The murder scheme was choreographed and orchestrated impeccably by Mr. Hun Sen's right hand bodyguard Mr. Heang. Of course, everyone in Cambodia knows that these men were scapgoated, and knew who was behind the killing -- Mr. Hun Sen, that is.
It's interesting to see how the infidels here accusing the Khmer PM of involvement in this case, but I still don't see any proof or motive behind it. Why would PM want to lock people up for?
Aside from that, they also allege that our court lock up innocent people, but why? If we can't find the murderer, we can't find them. We would never lock up people just to show that we are able to find murderers. Still today, there are many murderers that have not been found, and we are not going to lock up anyone to make up for it. Ah Scam Rainxy's supporters is full of shits.
Everybody knows that Ah scum bag Hun Sen scapegoated these men in an effort to make himself (Ah Sen) exonerated or exculpated of the murder of Chea Vichea, when ,in fact, Ah Sen himelf who is the perpetrator of the crime (not to further mention other egregious crimes in which Ah Sen has pepetrated against the innocent Khmer people).
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