Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Club Asks Minister for Help With Jailed Journalist

News anchor Soy Sopheap, has complained of anonymous texts to the Ministry of Interior, whose police subsequently arrested and charged Ros Sokhet (pictured) with criminal disinformation. (Photo: Koh Santepheap)
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 11 October 2010
“If the information minister has the initiative to find the legal possibility of solving the case of Ros Sokhet, I completely support the initiative.”
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith has asked a jailed journalist to write a letter requesting his intervention, following a meeting with a local journalist organization.

The journalist, Ros Sokhet, was sentenced to two years in prison in November 2009, after he sent a series of text messages to a famous news anchor that were deemed threatening.

The news anchor, Soy Sopheap, has said he complained of anonymous texts to the Ministry of Interior, whose police subsequently arrested and charged Ros Sokhet with criminal disinformation.


“If the information minister has the initiative to find the legal possibility of solving the case of Ros Sokhet, I completely support the initiative,” Soy Sopheap said Monday.

Ros Sokhet's Appeals Court hearing is scheduled for Friday, and the Press Council of Cambodia has asked the Information Ministry to aid on Ros Sokhet's behalf.

Following a meeting with the press club on Monday, Khieu Kanharith said he wanted Ros Sokhet to write a letter requesting his help. He would then meet with Ministry of Justice officials, he said.

Press Council President Sok Sovann said Monday the club had asked for help in Ros Sokhet's release because the journalist's mother is aging and ill.

Defense lawyer Som Sokong said he would discuss the possibility of the request with Ros Sokhet, “so that the Appeals Court will make a fair hearing.”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cambodian need to differentiate between criminals law and commercial laws and also between district courts and high court.
This person is not a criminal because he has harmed no body yet. If the police arrest him, he should be released at the same day for the crime he has committed is very minimal compare to Hun sen and his clan.
A complain to police shouldn't allow the police to jail one good person for two months in jail. This is truely illegal and the victims can counter sue for his damage. The court hasn't found out if he got a crime yet, and the police dare to jail him. What kind of law in here?

Areak Prey

Anonymous said...

Areak Prey,,, you left cambodia for a long time… you should have understood what is Cambodia..