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| Go Takayama |
Evansville Courier and Press
Photojournalist Go Takayama, 28, a former Courier & Press intern who had been held in a Cambodian jail since Nov. 23 on charges that he was producing pornographic pictures has been released after a provincial court acquitted him of all charges.
The development comes after a high-ranking Cambodian government minister spoke out on the photographer’s behalf.
Cambodian Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith, a former newspaper editor who has been jailed in the past, told News Photographer magazine he was convinced of Takayama’s innocence and that he was sending a formal letter to the court requesting his release.
Takayama worked for the Courier & Press in 2008.
Provincial Prosecutor Ty Soveinthal told The Phnom Penh Post this week that Kanharith had intervened on Takayama’s behalf, and the photographer and the married couple who were arrested along with Takayama would be released.
At a hearing this morning, Judge Sok Leng said that based on the evidence and statements, Takayama and the married couple he was photographing, who also were arrested, were not guilty of pornography charges. The judge also said Takayama would receive his camera, memory card, and the photographs back from police.
“We have found his mistake was very minor,” Soveinthal told the newspaper, “and he was supported by His Excellency Khieu Kanharith.” Cambodia’s Minister of Information told the Post he had received many messages from Cambodian journalists trained in the U.S. who affirmed Takayama’s innocence. “I also checked his blog and understood the nature of his art,” Kanharith said.
“I have concluded my investigation of the Japanese photographer, and I think his punishment should be very minor and he should not be jailed in Cambodia,” Soveinthal told the newspaper.
“The court gave us justice today,” Takayama’s lawyer, Sourng Sophea, said after the photographer’s release.
Kanharith’s interest in Takayama’s case most likely had a significant impact on the court’s view of the photographer’s actions. The high-ranking Cambodian Minister had been imprisoned himself in 1990 when he was suspected of “dissident activities,” but in 1991 Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen asked Kanharith to serve as his adviser and in 1992 the former journalist was promoted to Minister of Information.
Takayama had been jailed in Siem Reap after taking pictures for a story he was working while participating in the Angkor Photo Workshops.
After photographing a married couple inside a home Nov. 23, Takayama was stopped on the street by plainclothes police officers, Angkor Photo Workshop organizer Jessica Lim told News Photographer magazine.
The police confiscated his camera along with 78 photographs from his memory card, which were admitted as evidence in an accusation charging Takayama with producing pornographic content. He had been under arrest and in prison since that night.
Lim said the photographs were not pornographic. “They depict a married couple hugging and holding each other. Although there was never any nudity, the man had his shirt off and halfway through the shoot the woman took her blouse off as well. The man had on shorts and the woman had on trousers throughout the entire shoot and there was no explicit sexual activity.”
5 comments:
I won't justice along with intervention from high ranking Minister and japanese Embassy like that; for me I need the court must be justice, fair, not biased to all case of Cambodian. If Mr. Go was not khmer i think that he was setenced at least 1 month in the prison with fines also. I need justice with fair challenges, cross examination with all relevants not under pressure from government.
ខ្ញុំមិនចង់បានយុត្តិធម៌មួយដែលមានការអន្តរាគមន៏ពីមន្ត្រីរដ្ឋាភិបាលនិងស្ថានទូតជប៉ុននោះ ទេ។ សំរាប់ខ្ញុំវិញចង់ឲ្យតុលាការមានការ ពិចារណាដោយស្មើភាពគ្នា យុត្តិធម៌ និងមិនលំអៀង ចុះប្រសិនបើលោកគោ ជាខ្មែរវិញ យ៉ាងហោចណាស់ក៏ាត់មានទោសមួយខែដែរ នៅក្នុងពន្ធនាគារជាមួយនឹងសំនងផ្សេងៗ។
ខ្ញុំត្រវការយត្តិធម៌មួយដែលមានការជជែកសាក សួរដេញដោលគ្នាពីគ្រប់ភាគីក្នុងអង្គសវនាការ ដោយមិនមានសំពាធពីរដ្ឋាភិបាល។
ពីខ្ញុំអ្នកស្រឡាញ់យុត្តិធម៌ម្នាក់
I won't justice along with intervention from high ranking Minister and japanese Embassy like that; for me I need the court must be justice, fair, not biased to all case of Cambodian. If Mr. Go was not khmer i think that he was setenced at least 1 month in the prison with fines also. I need justice with fair challenges, cross examination with all relevants not under pressure from government.
ខ្ញុំមិនចង់បានយុត្តិធម៌មួយដែលមានការអន្តរាគមន៏ពីមន្ត្រីរដ្ឋាភិបាលនិងស្ថានទូតជប៉ុននោះ ទេ។ សំរាប់ខ្ញុំវិញចង់ឲ្យតុលាការមានការ ពិចារណាដោយស្មើភាពគ្នា យុត្តិធម៌ និងមិនលំអៀង ចុះប្រសិនបើលោកគោ ជាខ្មែរវិញ យ៉ាងហោចណាស់ក៏ាត់មានទោសមួយខែដែរ នៅក្នុងពន្ធនាគារជាមួយនឹងសំនងផ្សេងៗ។
ខ្ញុំត្រវការយត្តិធម៌មួយដែលមានការជជែកសាក សួរដេញដោលគ្នាពីគ្រប់ភាគីក្នុងអង្គសវនាការ ដោយមិនមានសំពាធពីរដ្ឋាភិបាល។
ពីខ្ញុំអ្នកស្រឡាញ់យុត្តិធម៌ម្នាក់
Any recommendation from any minister is very powerful,I think.
Justice is not what the court decides,but from minister.
Wow! yes minister!Mr Blue.
អាជ្ញាធរខ្មែរ ធ្វើរឿងហ្នឹងដូចជាធំណាស់ !
ចុះមានបានគិតដែរឬទេ ដែលនៅកម្ពុជាទាំងមូល មានស្រីពេស្យាជាង ៣០០០០នាក់នោះ ? មានតាំងពីរ អាបីដុល្លា
រហូតដល់អាបីរយដុល្លា
Congratulation to Mr. Go was set free but don't forget to submit report on front page to Japanese government urgung Cambodia court stop arrest innocent people without any evidence and imprisonment without consideration of any type of crime. Civil case, lad case, pety crime case,is also imprisoned. The Khmer court do like this for money of bail like extortion?
Please all victim in justice rise up to burn down the court. Burn it down Burn it down from now on.
អបអរសាទរជូនចំពោះ លោក ហ្គោ
ប៉ុន្តែសូមកុំភ្លេចសរសេរទំព័រមុខនូវរបាយការណ៏ទៅរដ្ឋាភិបាលជប៉ុនផង ថាកុំឲ្យតុលាការឈប់ចាប់ខ្លួនមនុស្សស្លូតត្រង់ដែលគ្មានកំហុស ដោយមិនបានគិតពីភស្តុតាង ឬប្រភេទនៃបទល្មើសទាល់តែសោះ សូម្បីតរឿងដីធ្លី រឿងរដ្ឋប្បវេណី បទលហុក៏ចាប់ឃុំខ្លួនមនុស្សផងដែរ។ តុលាការធ្វើនេះដើម្បីជំរិតទារប្រាក់ធានាក្រៅឃុំ រឺ? រឺ? រឺ? រឺ? រឺ? ឬ ឬឬឬរឬឬឬឬ?
បើនៅតែរបៀបនេះ សូមបងប្អូនរងគ្រោះដោយអំពើអយុត្តិធម៌ទាំងអស់នាំគ្នាដុតកំទេចតុលាការចោល តែម្តងទៅ! ដុតទៅ ដុតទៅ !
ប្រាក់ ដុល្លារ
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