Hang Chakra (Photo: Zakariya, RFA)27 June 2009
By Zakariya
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Hang Chakra, the editor-in-chief of The Khmer Machas Srok newspaper who was sentenced for publishing false information and defamation on a Cambodian minister [Sok An], was arrested by the police and sent to the Prey Sar jail, near Phnom Penh.
Am Sam Ath, director of investigation for the Licadho human rights group, indicated that Hang Chakra was sent to Prey Sar jail by the cops at 4PM on 26 June, after he was arrested by cops in Battambang, at a rented house in Chamcar Samrong commune, Battambang city.
Chuong Chou-ngy, Hang Chakra’s lawyer, said that the sentence handed down by the Phnom Penh municipal court is very unfair for his client because the decision was made in absentia, and neither he nor his client were present during the court decision. Only the judge, the prosecutors and the government lawyer who brought the lawsuit against Hang Chakra were present.
Chuon Chou-ngy said: “Therefore, when they held the hearing, they speed up [the process] to hand out the sentence. Even without the presence of my client [Hang Chankra] and my request to delay the case, they didn’t agree to it.”
On the legal process used by the Phnom Penh municipal court to sentence Hang Chakra to one year in jail and fined him 9 million riels ($2,25), Am Sam Ath said: “We can see that it can seriously affect the rights of journalists to express their opinion.”
Am Sam Ath added that this is an intimidation on journalists and a restriction on the freedom rights of journalists. The court action was taken to set an example to all other newspapers that are still undecided about whether to express their opinions or not.
Am Sam Ath said: “Therefore, the Appeal court must think about Mr. Hang Chakra’s case. The information law should be considered first before the criminal code is used.”
Judge of the Phnom Penh municipal court and justice ministry officials could not be reached to explain about the legality of this court decision and sentence.
On 26 June, Hang Chakra was sentenced following a lawsuit brought up by the government lawyer. He was accused of publishing false information and defamation after his newspaper reported a number of articles in April and May. These articles accused a number of government officials around deputy-PM Sok An of corruption.
An alliance of Civil Society organizations and the Cambodian Club of Journalists issued two separate statements to express their concerns on the press freedom in Cambodia, they were also disappointed that the court did not use the newly-adopted information law in this case.
19 comments:
The CPP celebrates its communist foundation initiated by Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh in 1951.
What happened between 1970 until 2009 in Cambodia because of them including 2 124 587 massacred.
UN wake up!
10 DECEMBRE 2001, KOFI ANNAN REÇOIT LE PRIX NOBEL DE LA PAIX
__Eliminer la pauvreté, prévenir les conflits et promouvoir la démocratie sont les trois priorités des Nations Unies au XXIe siècle
in cambodia ,if the government want to put people in jail, they just tell the court to do it . the court will do whatever they have been told by the government... you dont even have a chance to be in court to defend yourself . just like the case of Mr Hang Chakra . what a lawless country . i hope the donor countries will wake up soon .
A Sok An, is not uneducated person like A Hun Sen, I can't beleive he have no compassion for his own people all of them truely A Youn slavery.
This how A Hun Sen regime Justice. The Khmer Machas Srok newspaper just a simple people, but A Sok An can't stand the true and it is hurt his brain so bad that why A Sok An need to lock up the poor Journalists.
Shame of A Sok An, don't you know Prey Sar jail is the place that will keep all A Hun Sen body.
I'm a Khmer Woman in Blood.
Prey Sar jail is the symbole for the persons who dare to criticize the leaders from Sihanouk,Lon nol,Polpot then Hun Sen.The Khmers leaders do not like people say somethings negative about them,this is Khmers manner.
I remember in 1974 the editor of Somleng Phnom penh newspaper who was beating and sended to Prey sar because he dared denonced the corruption the members of goverment with the chineses.
why is he in jail when Defamation/Disinformation is now a civil wrong and not a crime as it was until changed by the National Assembly about a year ago with the MP called for it to be decriminalized?
Sa thuk! Sa Thuk! Sa Thuk!
puok ah khmer M'chas Srok joule kuk mneak heuy, mé vea srey nov baraing, Neak Srey Bandit Chak Sakhon terb tei mouk som luy nov lynn Mass. pon man atith mun niss.
Ah mé khoch Tith Sarun trov Ban Neak Srey Bandit Chak Sakhon bandech chenh pi pak, pi pruos Ah mé khoch Tith Sarun ban luoch loy pak oss $5,000. chong york tov rok si nov srok khmer tei meak eing chhmuonh ang kor mok lork nov améric chea moy bropon chong.
nov mean krom ah Hin Sithan, Sam Vichea, Yim guechsè, Ly Ngoc Yiep teat khang sarsé kamnap, min deung chea kamnap mè vea eiy rok sdab min ban.
If you mess with Thevoda Hun Sen, you are history boy.
kiss my (_O_) ah/me 6:23 AM.
Ah Hun Sen will die ugly like Ah Hee Lun Doc.
Ah San Okkk Will ugly Like Ah Hok Lundy.
Kiss my (_0_) ah/me 6:27
SRP
To ah 6:23AM. You have to remember in your Brain. Not only those groups or Khmer nationalists, but also still have many many Khmer nationalists (except Puok Ah Yorng Yuon like Ah Hun Xen, Ah Xok An...)will wake up to HIT puor ah yorng Yuon. All Khmer are living abroads will not forgive and will not give up and open their eyes see what ah Yorng Yuon suck khmer blood dach kat. And the negeration will also wake up to fight those Ah yorng yuon.
I am a young generation in AUSTRALIA.
Ah Sam Rainsy will die like Ah Pol Pot.
Me Mu Sochua will die ugly like Pol Pot.
Ah Hun Sen will Die like a dog.
Ah Sok An will Die like a cat.
6:23AM,7:10 AM,
Ah Kaune mi chor Sam Phoeung Yuon Bitch came along Viet troops invading Cambodia in 1979.
Born ah chor me chor roleay roub, ah Preah Pak ra pouk, ah Prewah Bam ph'lanh, Ah Ondor kap, Ah Chh'kaer Kanh cheas yuon, ah Choy m'rai Ah Kh'vang ma khak ah kone mi chor Kh'nhom yuon, ah runteas banh kandal kh'bal.
Sok An is more educated than Hun Sen but he is a thug like Hun Sen. This guy is the second richest man in Cambodia after Hun Sen. He is the most corrupt person in Cambodia. Soon, he will kill Hun Sen to get the PM job.
Ah SRP will Die like a dog.
Me Mu Sochua will Die like a cat.
It is true Sok An want Hun Sen position for long time, but he can't kill Hun's yet, if time it come he will be the new PM job.
Hun Sen is scare of Youn and his body-body too. Jail Prea Saw is the place for all of them, that how their Justice pay back.
If Sok Anh was nationalist, he would have achieved " The corruption laws" already. This proves that there are so much to hide, and over one million thump prints is not verified the crying loud of cambodians.
I am not surprised to hear that he is the most corrupted high ranking officer in cambodia.
Angkor is our soul, but she is sold to his crony Sok KONG.
Most of the ranking now are chinese blood cambodians,cronies are mong rithy,yeay Phu(POO),yeay phan,Lao meng Khin,Tao Seng Huor...go on and on.
Come on ! are these pretended Red Cross members sympathise poor cambodians???NO they do not.
Who does not know yeay Phu,yeay Phann robbed land and drying resources in cambodia?.How much they sold timber to Vietnam, Thailand...etc.Simply bribe those dark skinned army officers as their slaves.
Sok Anh and his supporters have got the money power to easily take over our PM. Then our PM will go back to farming again as peasant,who he used to be.
Tell me if any of those suckers ever been to the rice field,NO!!!.
Sok Anh is rich enough,and his ambition likely to have it achieved.And cambodians will be worse off.
Kaun Khmer
This guy should belong in jail.
PPU
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