Hang ChakraFriday, 04 September 2009
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post
SENIOR officials at the Ministry of Justice said that the Supreme Council of the Magistracy has no power to intervene in the case of jailed newspaper publisher Hang Chakra, despite a letter sent by King Norodom Sihamoni to Minister of Justice Ang Vong Vathana asking that the council reconsider the publisher's conviction.
Hang Chakra, the publisher of the Khmer Machas Srok newspaper, was convicted in June of defamation and publishing false information in connection with a series of articles published in April and May accusing officials working for Deputy Prime Minister Sok An of corruption. He was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 9 million riels (US$2,187). The Court of Appeal rejected his case on August 11.
In a letter dated August 24, a group of local media and civil society groups wrote to the King, urging him to request that the Supreme Council of the Magistracy reconsider Hang Chakra's case. The King then forwarded the request to Ang Vong Vathana.
"We considered the request of the King, but based on our analysis, we do not believe that the Supreme Council of the Magistracy has the power or obligation to examine the conviction of the court," a Ministry of Justice official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Tuesday. "I think that the publisher should use his right to appeal to the Supreme Court to reconsider the conviction."
Touch Naro, the president of the Cambodia Journalist Watch Association and one of the signatories of the letter, argued that according to the 1995 Press Law, Hang Chakra's conviction should never have occurred.
"We need an explanation about the legal process that put Chakra in jail, because he did not commit any crimes," he said.
Choung Chou Ngy, Hang Chakra's lawyer, told the Post that he visited his client in jail on Wednesday, finding him in poor health and unsure of whether he will appeal his conviction to the Supreme Court.
Ang Vong Vathana could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Hang Chakra, the publisher of the Khmer Machas Srok newspaper, was convicted in June of defamation and publishing false information in connection with a series of articles published in April and May accusing officials working for Deputy Prime Minister Sok An of corruption. He was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 9 million riels (US$2,187). The Court of Appeal rejected his case on August 11.
In a letter dated August 24, a group of local media and civil society groups wrote to the King, urging him to request that the Supreme Council of the Magistracy reconsider Hang Chakra's case. The King then forwarded the request to Ang Vong Vathana.
"We considered the request of the King, but based on our analysis, we do not believe that the Supreme Council of the Magistracy has the power or obligation to examine the conviction of the court," a Ministry of Justice official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Tuesday. "I think that the publisher should use his right to appeal to the Supreme Court to reconsider the conviction."
Touch Naro, the president of the Cambodia Journalist Watch Association and one of the signatories of the letter, argued that according to the 1995 Press Law, Hang Chakra's conviction should never have occurred.
"We need an explanation about the legal process that put Chakra in jail, because he did not commit any crimes," he said.
Choung Chou Ngy, Hang Chakra's lawyer, told the Post that he visited his client in jail on Wednesday, finding him in poor health and unsure of whether he will appeal his conviction to the Supreme Court.
Ang Vong Vathana could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
12 comments:
Only I, yes, I have the power to grant you from hell
signed
HS
Yes, we know it clearly only Hun Sen can order all, he is powerfull man. What is the rule of law that always write on the paper, but applacation is up to one person because he is the God for all.
ah chhkae na ko vea min chuoy dae, tuos hang chak kra khom ampeav neav toal tae slab khluon ko ot prayaoch dae pruos ah khuor yuon os nung vea min ach tveu khos pi banh chea robos ah yuon kantob te.
hang chak kra, why don't you ask your lady boss Chak Sakhonn to bail you out? Your Khmer M'chas Srok held the siminar in Long Beach last week were sucked! about 5 people were attending. hahahaaaaa
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
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Attempted Assassinations on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Attempted Murders on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders members and activists of Sam Rainsy Party
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 the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leader of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
Hun Sen should be smart, Hang Chakra just a normal journalist, why Hun body need to lock him up.
Did Hun know that it ruing Khmer Leader reputation.
If you are ordinary people don't expect justice from the clown courts of Hun Sen. At the end, only the rich, the powerful figures prevail while you, as ordinary people are losers in all cases. That's why I have never respected Hun Sen's courts.
5:51 PM . you suck big time buddy . You are 100% wrong but you don't know that . About 5 people ? I think you can't count more than 5
CPP (Cuffed Poor People)
To Khmer Rouge supporters
You're support Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime who is killing innocent Khmer peoples.
Please do me a favor don't ever tell anyone that you are Khmer, because you make Khmer peoples look bad.
What is the point of having a king for when the king cannot help his people?
The issue here is not hun sen, but because the subject is SOK AN. When khmer try to touches any youns in srokhmer that what happend.
This is the aggression of hanoi over khmer on khmer land. Only an uprising will bring justice, peace, and stability. Until then, its too late.
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