UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi PillaySource: UN News Centre
13 July 2010 – United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay has voiced serious concern about the defamation proceedings against an opposition politician in Cambodia, saying they highlight an “alarming” erosion of fundamental freedoms in the South-East Asian nation.
Mu Sochua – who is a serving member of the Cambodian Parliament, a former women’s affairs minister and a prominent women’s rights defender – was convicted last August for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen when she announced in April that she would sue him for derogatory comments he made about her.
The Prime Minister’s comments included a reference to the unbuttoning of Mu Sochua’s blouse and another reference of a sexual nature that led her to bring a defamation case against him.
Her case against the Prime Minister was dismissed, her parliamentary immunity lifted and she was then found guilty of defamation. Her conviction was upheld by the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, despite the fact that no evidence proving either damage to reputation or malicious intent was presented during the case.
The court imposed a fine on Mu Sochua and awarded damages to the Prime Minister. She has until 16 July to pay the fine, which she has refused to do.
“We believe this highly politicized case appears to show an alarming erosion of both freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary in Cambodia,” Rupert Colville of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva.
“Mu Sochua now stood on the verge of imprisonment for merely exercising her legal right to express her view that she was defamed and her intention to seek a legal remedy,” he noted.
“The criminal justice system was the bedrock of human rights protection. However, in this case it had become a blunt instrument to silence freedom of expression.”
OHCHR believes the use of offensive language towards women in the Prime Minister’s statement deserved a response from the courts, Mr. Colville added.
Mu Sochua – who is a serving member of the Cambodian Parliament, a former women’s affairs minister and a prominent women’s rights defender – was convicted last August for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen when she announced in April that she would sue him for derogatory comments he made about her.
The Prime Minister’s comments included a reference to the unbuttoning of Mu Sochua’s blouse and another reference of a sexual nature that led her to bring a defamation case against him.
Her case against the Prime Minister was dismissed, her parliamentary immunity lifted and she was then found guilty of defamation. Her conviction was upheld by the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, despite the fact that no evidence proving either damage to reputation or malicious intent was presented during the case.
The court imposed a fine on Mu Sochua and awarded damages to the Prime Minister. She has until 16 July to pay the fine, which she has refused to do.
“We believe this highly politicized case appears to show an alarming erosion of both freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary in Cambodia,” Rupert Colville of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva.
“Mu Sochua now stood on the verge of imprisonment for merely exercising her legal right to express her view that she was defamed and her intention to seek a legal remedy,” he noted.
“The criminal justice system was the bedrock of human rights protection. However, in this case it had become a blunt instrument to silence freedom of expression.”
OHCHR believes the use of offensive language towards women in the Prime Minister’s statement deserved a response from the courts, Mr. Colville added.
17 comments:
Hun Sen goes too far to be a stateman, he doesn't want to quit his thief life..
everyday, everynight ,hun sen tries to kill khmer people by using his cool war.Thank UN very much for focussing on him and his both boss China and Youn.
The tallest tree always got hit more
winds all the time .
For me , I have no surprise in this
issue .
Labeling and coloring was the oldest culture of person .
At least, a woman courage has inspired the world.
Tith Sothea has lost his ground as enforcing Mu Sochua to respect the gangaroo court; but Mu Sochua has unfairly been convicted...so how could Madam Sochua and all Cambodian follow and respect that kangaroo court, Sothea?
5:52 AM!
95% + 60% = Your Motherfucker.
hahahahahahaha...
I just google and notice that Khmer loves to suck cock both guys and girls. Khmer male loves to suck White tourists' cock to earn few bucks, bang their ass will pay the extra. Khmer girls love to marry Korean, Chinese men to practice being raped and gang bang. Ask your mother and wives, they sure love to and contact us at:
www. Khmerwhoreiseverywhere.com
The Crime Minister Hun Sen is the law and he has no idea what case is for criminal law and what case is for civil law. He changes his law depends on his mood, the criminals who killed people like Hok Lundy killed Piseth Pilika should be listed in a criminal law.
This Crime Minster Hun Sen was a peasant from the jungle he remains a peasant because it was the basic fact of his origin. Peasants don't know the laws. And the criminal who hired hit men to throw grenades to kill Rainsy should be listed in the criminal law, and the suspect killer was the Crime Minster Hun Sen himself.
To Hun Sen, the bad guy is god and the good guy is the evil.
Hun Sen is former Khmer Rouge, how can someine teach him to understand about Human rights? Till now all UN mumbers who critized Hun Xen was fired or expelled from Cambodia, Why? Because the UN is the paper Tiger? That is the fact.
I hope HunXen, Sok An, and HorNamHong all dies soon, before Ms MuSochua goes to jail by these currupted monster!
I don't think oily face woman Mu Sochua is brave enough not pay the fine but happy to serve jail time. In 2008, when a coward Sam Rainsy was fine 10 Million Riel by the NEC during national election campaign, he always refused to pay the fine, but when he had run out of option and no where to go, on 26 February 2009, SRP officer brought money to pay off the fine.
As for Mu Sochua's case, she has been used the same tactic like her boss. If she goes to jail, she won't dare to spend the whole jail term, but she might spend a short time in jail to promote her political stunt and then instructs someone as her lawyer to pay the fine.
Disgraced Mu Sochua and Sam Rainsy as well as other SRP supporters, they are brave only in front of microphone or computer but when they face with jail time, they will bow their head to the ground or run away to overseas. Indeed, they are shameless in speaking louder more than they can do because they are thick face group of loser.
Khmer in Sydney CBD
1;04pm
Mu Sochua will be the next Khmer Prime Minister. Be nice to her or you will be deported back to Cambodia even if after your Aus naturalization. Or y.ou can stay where you are or shut up
Do you believe in fate?
They are coward like you, Khmer in Sydney CBD. you will be killed by Hoon Xen if you stay in Cambodia.
What happened the this UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the last 20 years? What can this expression of concern do to the current regime? None nothing, it is ineffective, it is useless in thcase of Cambodia If anything it coroborate with regime by turning a blind eyes to the most obvious. Cambodia is running by a Hybrid-democracy where the elected Goverment supress it's citizen, dictate in every way how they live their lives and how they learnt. This regime is nothing more than a dicatator waring a democracy hat supported by the UN and the Nations of pretenders.
5:52 am Mother fucker...if you don't have any idea just shut your fuckin mouth.....
bias can blind all kind of people no matter what position they may hold. i think we need to examine that word "bias" carefully in order to solve or avoid 99% of the problem in cambodia or the world for that matter, really! if we chose to ignore this key word "bias", we failed complete as a good leader, really! i thought in ethics training, they taught us not to be bias, then, why people still practice it everywhere? why? why biased with my country cambodia? why? that's your homework, ok!
I don't mind if Hun Mana suck my dick while Hun Sen and Bun Rany watch.
Khmer in Sydney CBD
Hun Sen,his family members,and his clans will be dead soon because of their evil deeds.
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