Monday, December 20, 2010

Lawyer condemns incitement case

Seng Kunnaka
Monday, 20 December 2010
Thomas Miller and Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post
But bloggers at the news blog KI-Media, from which Seng Kunnaka is thought to have printed the article, said on Monday they believed he may have printed an article posted on December 17, the same day he was arrested. The article, titled as an opinion piece, shows headshots of Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials with the word “traitors?” written along the side in various languages.

“That’s why the judge refused to talk about it, because then he would be forced to repeat the question we posted,” KI-Media’s administrator Heng Soy said in an email.
The World Food Programme employee convicted on Sunday of criminal incitement distributed the offending web article to only two of his co-workers, his attorney said on Monday, amid mounting criticism of the “draconian” conviction.

Chou Sokheng, the lawyer for Seng Kunnaka who works at the WFP’s Russey Keo district warehouse, said his client did not publicly distribute the article.

“He confessed he printed the article to read with his other two co-staffers, but he denied distributing it to the public,” he said.

Seng Kunnaka was sentenced to 6 months jail and fined 1 million riel (US$250) under Article 495 of the new penal code, which came into effect on December 10.



The content of the article Seng Kunnaka printed is still unclear. While Chou Sokheng said it contained pictures of government officials, he declined to provide further details. Article 495 outlaws public speech that directly incites actions “seriously” affecting social security and carries a prison sentence of between six months and two years, even in cases in which incitement is ineffective.

Kor Vandy, the presiding judge, declined to comment on Monday, referring questions to Deputy Prosecutor Chet Khemara, who was unavailable.

But bloggers at the news blog KI-Media, from which Seng Kunnaka is thought to have printed the article, said on Monday they believed he may have printed an article posted on December 17, the same day he was arrested. The article, titled as an opinion piece, shows headshots of Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials with the word “traitors?” written along the side in various languages.

That’s why the judge refused to talk about it, because then he would be forced to repeat the question we posted,” KI-Media’s administrator Heng Soy said in an email.

Human Rights Watch expressed deep concern about the conviction of Seng Kunnaka, whose case “probably set an all-new world record for speedy proceedings by the Cambodian courts”, and called on Cambodia’s donors to “wake up”.

It’s shocking that we now see even a warehouse employee at a UN agency with a print-out of materials from a website can incur the wrath of this increasingly authoritarian Cambodian government,” HRW’s deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said on Monday.

WFP Country Director Jean-Pierre DeMargerie said the agency was “still trying to clarify” the facts of the case.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

យើងត្រូវតែនាំគ្នានិយាយពីអំពើក្បត់ជាតិនឹងអំពើអាក្រក់
របស់មេដឹកនាំកម្ពុជា ទាំងយប់ ទាំងថ្ងៃ មានដូចជា ៖
ពួកអាឆ្កែកញ្ជះយួន ហ៊ុន សែន, ហេងសំ រិន, ជាស៊ីម,
សុខ អាន, ហោ ណាំហុង, ឱម យិនទៀង, ចៀម យីប,
វ៉ា គិម ហុង, ស ខេង, ងួន ញ៉ឹល ។ល។ និង ។ល។
និយាយហើយនិយាយទៀតដើម្បីអោយជាតិ និងអន្តរជាតិ
ដឹងឮ ទូទាំងពិភពលោក។
អោយពួកវាស្អុយឈ្មោះ ស្អុយត្រកូលរាប់ម៉ឺនសែន ឆ្នាំ...!

ជនពាល said...

តុលាការមិនគួរណា ផ្ដន្ទាទោសទៅលើ លោកម្នាក់នេះ
អោយជាប់គុកឡើយ ព្រោះម្សៀម្នាក់នេះ គ្នាគ្រាន់តែ ព្រិនពីរបីសន្លឹក នូវឯកសាផ្សព្វផ្សាយរបស់វែបសាយ ឃេអាយ មេឌា ដើម្បី ចែកចាយអោយមិត្ត
ភ័ក្កមើលលេងកំសាន្ថតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ ។ តុលាការគួតែដឹងថា អ្នកដែលត្រូវទទួលខុសត្រូវក្នុងរឿងនេះ គឺមេក្លោ ស្ថាបនិកKI MEdia ឯណោះទៅវីញទេ ។ ដូច្នេះ លោកវា គិមហុង ដើម្បីសម្រួលបរិយាកាស លោកគួរតែចេញមុខ ធ្វើអន្តរាគម ដោយស្នើសុំតុលាការ អោយលើកលែងបុរស
រូបនេះជាបន្ទាន់ ។ បើលោកបានធ្វើដូច្នោះ
មែននោះ គឺដូចជាបានកាច់បំបាក់មុខ ពួកជ្រុលនិយមបានមួយផ្នែកដែរ ៕

Anonymous said...

*PORNG KHDOR!!!
From Porng Pee

Anonymous said...

i'm sure he was sent by opposition party. You dumb must think twice before publishing. You make yourselve look stupid while you keep telling us without any proof or evidences. Pouk ah kbort jeat !

Anonymous said...

2:11AM
You want 'evidences', just look beyond the tip of your nose, unless you're completely blind.

Anonymous said...

why they like to incite people? what is the purpose of doing so? i don't get it!

Keo Cham said...

me too 2:42, it is like the government wants themselves to have a bad public image. They're purposely inciting people to hate more and more by these draconian actions.

But I say let them be, the more incitement and anger to muster up in the people, the greater the momentum for change will be when the people decides enough is enough!

Keo Cham said...

Kunakar, don't paid the dictators for putting you in jail. The world is behind you and so are all the NGOs and press freedom organisations. Soon enough this government will realize their authoritarian actions and upon waking up that they cannot generate a single dollar by themselves or even keep the country running without donor money, they will readily free you and you will become the next Khmer hero after Tim Sakhorn, Mu Sochua, Chea Vichea and others before you.


You are already our hero!

Anonymous said...

សម្លាប់មួយ គម្រាមមួយរយ
នេះជាភាសាភាពយន្ដចិន ​!ទាក់ទងនឹងសង្គមខ្មែរ ។
នរណានាំអាទិ៍បាត់ជីវិត
ហ៊ានពេកមិនគិតគេដៅទុក
ថាមេបះបោរអ្នកនាំមុខ
គេចោទថាទុកយូរមិនបាន ។
តាមដានអង្កេតពិនិត្យជាប់
គេខ្លាចកទ័ពវាយរុញច្រាន
ឲ្យធ្លាក់អំណាចអាចកាត់ស្មាន
ពួកចិត្តតិរច្ឆានឃ្លានអំណាច ។
ដាច់ដាបអត់ឃ្លានដូចសត្វប្រេត
ប៉ិនបង្កហេតុឲ្យគេខ្លាច
ខុសត្រូវមិនគិតរឹតតែអាច
សង្គមដាច់ដាចមិនប៉ះប៉ុន ។
ចូលចិត្តឲ្យគេឱនលំទោន
លើកទូលក្រាបលូនញ័រតត្រុន
ឡើងជោរអួតខ្លួនអ្នកមានបុណ្យ
រាស្ត្រក្រដាបដុននៅតែល្មម ។
ជនណាហ៊ានខ្លាំងប្រឆាំងពិត
គេចាប់ចងរឹតវាយទល់ទ្រម
អ្នកខួរក្បាលខ្សោយសារភាពព្រម
អ្នកដែលក្រទមវិនាសប្រាណ ។
អ្នកស្មោះត្រង់ជាតិស៊ូស្លាប់ខ្លួន
មិនព្រមរត់ពួនយកសុខសាន្ដ
ប្រឈមមុខស្រាយរឿងប៉ុន្មាន
ព្រោះតែចង់បានសុខចម្រើន។
តែពួកស្មូរជនល្មោភអំណាច
ធ្វើអ្វីតាមអាចកាចកកើន
មិនព្រមអើពើពាក្យតឿនក្រើន
ពួកប្រឹក្សាច្រើនមិនបានការ ។
ពីដើមសតវត្សរ៍ទល់ឥឡូវ
អ្នកដឹកនាំត្រូវគ្រប់បញ្ហា
មិនដែលមានទោសទោះម្នាក់ណា
នៅតែត្រួតត្រាលើរាស្ត្រខ្មែរ ។
អ្នកណាស្មោះត្រង់បង់ជីវិត
អ្នកដឹកនាំពិតមិនព្រមកែ
ចោទគេថាជាអ្នកក្បត់ខ្មែរ
រកលេសទាល់តែខ្មែរជឿបាន ។
សម្លាប់ម្នាក់ចោលគម្រាមម្រយ
អ្នកជីវិតស៊យទាំងប៉ុន្មាន
អ្នករស់បិទមាត់សម្ងំប្រាណ
ព្រោះខ្លាចខកខានយល់ផែនដី ។
09-06-2009

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen's regime is so powerful now in practically demand people to vote for it. It's so powerful now it can afford to exercise obsolute power as it's predecessor the KR and the communist style under the banner of democracy and new form of Government supported by those donors country who failed measurable to bring the accountability. They are the collaborator to the crime that this regime commit.
Koun Khmer2010

Anonymous said...

>.<