Original report from Phnom Penh
21 July 2009
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday disavowed responsibility to find a lawyer for opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua, who is defending herself in a defamation suit brought by the prime minister.
Mu Sochua, who is facing a summons from the court for July 24, has been without a defense attorney since her original counsel, Kong Sam On, dropped her as a client when he too found himself sued for defamation by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Mu Sochua had sought help from the Cambodian Defenders Project, but the group said it was mandated to defend the poor and marginalized.
Mu Sochua filed a suit against Hun Sen in April, alleging he had made derogatory remarks in the 2008 general election campaign, a suit dropped by the court following Hun Sen’s countersuit.
Phnom Penh court judge Sem Sakola said in a letter dated July 16 but released to the media Tuesday that Sok Samoeun, head of the Defenders Project, had not requested the court recognize him as defense.
The court also found it did not have a responsibility to find an attorney for the accused.
“I respect the decision of the court,” Mu Sochua told VOA Khmer Tuesday. “The court has fairly followed procedure.”
Mu Sochua said she had no choice but to go to court without a lawyer, having exhausted her options, a process that would be unbalanced.
“I do not have anything to show that I have received justice and equality before the law,” she said.
Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said the court had properly decided not to supply an attorney, as the case against Mu Sochua was neither for a serious crime nor against a juvenile.
“The court has no duty to find a lawyer for Mu Sochua,” he said.
Mu Sochua, who is facing a summons from the court for July 24, has been without a defense attorney since her original counsel, Kong Sam On, dropped her as a client when he too found himself sued for defamation by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Mu Sochua had sought help from the Cambodian Defenders Project, but the group said it was mandated to defend the poor and marginalized.
Mu Sochua filed a suit against Hun Sen in April, alleging he had made derogatory remarks in the 2008 general election campaign, a suit dropped by the court following Hun Sen’s countersuit.
Phnom Penh court judge Sem Sakola said in a letter dated July 16 but released to the media Tuesday that Sok Samoeun, head of the Defenders Project, had not requested the court recognize him as defense.
The court also found it did not have a responsibility to find an attorney for the accused.
“I respect the decision of the court,” Mu Sochua told VOA Khmer Tuesday. “The court has fairly followed procedure.”
Mu Sochua said she had no choice but to go to court without a lawyer, having exhausted her options, a process that would be unbalanced.
“I do not have anything to show that I have received justice and equality before the law,” she said.
Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said the court had properly decided not to supply an attorney, as the case against Mu Sochua was neither for a serious crime nor against a juvenile.
“The court has no duty to find a lawyer for Mu Sochua,” he said.
15 comments:
I completely have faith in our judicial system; justice will take its course. If one is innocent, one does not have to worry about anything--only the guilty does.
PPU
PPU,
You are so fucked up blind biased.
You know that court system in Cambodia is under Hun Sen alone?
Did you remember Heng Pov say about Hun Sen crimes? Did you see Hun Sen's son's helicopter kill Hok Lundy?
You are Khmer with Youn blood, but still you shouldn't wish other innocence to die under Hun Sen's crimes.
He killed Hok Lundy, no doubt about it.
Who know, you or your family members may be Hun Sen's next victims? Don't ask for sufferings upon others, it will fall onto you.
Educated people won't say or accused anyone as a murder without proof, but it is so obvious for Cambodia's opposition and its supporters. When they can't win the election, all they can do is invented the stories and run a smear campaign against other people. They are a thick face group and the loser!!
As for disgrace Mu Sochua, she always said that she's not afraid going to jail. So why she needs to worry about not having a lawyer when she goes to trial this Friday? There is no any lawyer in this world can save her fate in Cambodia's court.
In my opinion, after the trial she could end up with a 10 million Riel fine and 18 months in prison. If the Court gives a verdict as I predict, Mu Sochua should not hesitate going to jail. She should show her bravery and her supporters could call her as a martyr.
Cheers
PPU,
Some educated people who are brown nosers and or carried degrees do no good, will be walking behind Hun Sen and say "Yes Sir" Yes Mam".
Like you, everything Hun Sen does you won't dare to criticise him. There are somethings hold you back, even a bomb placed under Hok Lundy's seat still won't matter to you. Would members of gangs dare to criticize his master? You sure won't dare to cross Hun Sen.
I don't think everyone forgets in 1993, Hun Sen lost election but then he started to declare a civil war.
In my opinion, The court system in Cambodia should be amended to Hun Xen court.
Why should she hesitate, when a brutal man like Hun Sen abuses power? It does look bad on Hun Sen who smokes crack then blame others not to do it.
Sound like Hun Sen leeches roaming around here make me feel distinguish 's Mu verdict from kangaroo court.The blind person only support other blind because they are disable person.
What is so funny a bout Cambodian leaders like Hun Sen,Ho 5 Hong ,Sihaknuk,Heng Somrin,Chea Sim and on they are uncountable committing crimes against humanity killed their three million of their citizen they are walking free Hahhahhahahhhhahhahahahh,
I'm sorry for million khmer soul, if you are still around please make ah Hun Sen and ah Sihaknuk gnoib Taihong at the day light.
or lightning rod unable to protect these traitors from the lightning strike.
Potho Potho
This situation is generating increasingly critical media coverage all over the world.
More and more local cambodians are aware of the injustice and politicised cambodian judicial system.
The harder the one eye hyena yelps, the harder the negative boomerang effect on world opinion.Especially as he is courting world leaders to polish hi tarnished reputation past and present.
12:58PM
It is so obvious for people who are working with Hun Sen agreed on what Hun Sen has done and won't dare to cross over Hun Sen. It is the same as people who are working for Sam Rainsy have to agree on what Sam Rainsy does. There is NO any Prime Minister in this world will ever chose any person who is against him/her to work with at all. Only uneducated people and have no idea about politics can think that way. However, the CPP and the CPP supporters won't agree to replace the CPP's name to Hun Sen's name at all. But Sam Rainsy's supporters have bow their head to ground when their master put his name as party's name. What ashame?? Hahahaha.
Cheers
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Tortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Assassinations
Assassinate Journalists
Assassinate Political Opponents
Murders
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Under Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed all of these crimes above within Hun Sen Khmer Rouge government have ever been brought to justice.
2:22PM
The whole world knew already that Hun Sen kept stealing his opponent's party names, why do you have to lie? This SRP is only for a temporary. If you are Hun Sen's family members may be OK but not guarantee that you will be safed. But if you are just his supporters, your day is numbered.
Rainsy has no power no authority to do anything besides being an opposition leader or represent democracy. He does it for his country and for his poor people.
You are wrong to believe that Hun Sen would allow anyone to cross his decisions. If Hun Sen really wants the party under his name he can any time, but why should he if he already has power? He has power he has his court he has thousand body guards, he has military and he has money and who will dare to steal his party's name?
Poor and weak people like Rainsy have to fight to protect their identities by trademark their own at least for a temporary.
Just like products, if you create company name, you have to trademark it, but if you don't someone else will steal your good name to be theirs unless you trademark it.
From reading your comments I don't have to ask you twice, I know you are extremely evil biased toward Hun Sen and wrongly judged Rainsy.
Either Title, money and/or you are Vietnamese who becomes Khmers for political reasons, I don't know but you're insanly biased.
10:20AM
I do agree on what you said that "Poor and weak people like Rainsy...". Hun Sen is a Cambodia's strong man and his party is very strong party and always be a winner, why Hun Sen has to stealing the other parties'names which are poor and weak?? How on earth, the winner wants to steal the name of poor and weak and always a loser?. It is so weird isn't it?
Sam Rainsy always regards himself as the top of the world and no one has knowledge better than him in Cambodia. When his party is in chaos and he can't run his self-name party because of his lack of leadership, incompetent...etc but he has point his fingers blame other people, aim to cover up his weakness in politics.
As for disgrace Mu Sochua, her day as a free woman is almost come to the end. Despite, SRP is appealing to people come to light the candle in front of Phnom Penh Court on 24 July 2009, it won't change the verdict or save her from serving jail time at all. How many million candles SRP wants to light on??
It is so pity that poor and weak people like Rainsy and his party, when they are in the pump, they are realise on light the candles and pray for helping?? HaHahaaa
Cheers
1;32pm,
Hun Sen and his CPP kept stealing Rainsy's party name in the past. It was a strategy to divide Rainsy's party, not about winner or loser. In 1993 Hun Sen lost but he threated to have a civil war. Later his helper Vietnamese and CPP used guns/bullets to threat voters and bought voters.
There is no law forbidden everyone not to use a self name, and since Hun Sen and Vietnamese are in control trying to destroy Khmer nationalists, a temporary self name as a trademark is at least safe.
To you a brown-noser or a Viet spy MuSochu is disgrace, because she is a strong woman, but since women in Cambodia are being used by men like pets, to you she is disgrace.
So why do you have to write too long, don't you already know Cambodia owned by Hun Sen and Vietnam? Sure everything including court all are belong to Hun Sen. Cambodia court is Hun Sen Court. You belong to Hun Sen too.
If you are Vietnamese use KHmer ID, then your mission from Hanoi makes Hun Sen belongs to you, but it could change your fate like Hok Lundy.
1:32 PM
If Hun Sen orders you to come to him and give him a Blow Job, will you refuse? I think you will delight it. He owned Cambodia.
correction. for 3;04am.
be delighted
If PM Hun Sen has owned everything in Cambodia and wants to divide SRP name or stealing Rainsy's name as you guys accused, PM Hun Sen can use his power and Cambodia's court to take Sam Rainsy's name, then Mr. Sam Rainsy himself becomes a person who has no name, isn't it???
Khmer Australian
Yes, I do agree with you (Khmer Australian). SRP as well as its supporters always say Hun Sen has controlled everything in Cambodia, but at the same time, they are shameless to said that the so called " A temporary self-name as a tradmark is at least safe" If Hum Sen is owned Cambodia and can do everything, there is nothing safe in Cambodia let alone self-name trademark. But uneducated people in SRP can't understand that. All they can do is accused other Khmer people who support the CPP as Vietnamese because in they have no idea in politics let alone be able to run their own party properly.
I am fully aware that disgrace Mu Sochua is a strong woman as you guy mentioned above, if she's not strong, she won't able to cope with white man husband and have 3 kids at all.
Cheers
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