Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post
THE United States and human rights groups have denounced last week’s Appeal Court decision that upheld a two-year prison term handed down to a rights worker.
Leang Sokchouen, a staffer for the rights group Licadho, said following Thursday’s ruling that he would not appeal to the Supreme Court because he had “no more confidence” in Cambodia’s judicial system.
Leang Sokchouen was convicted last August for spreading anti-government leaflets together with three Khmer Krom men. The Appeal Court upheld the ruling last week but changed the conviction from disinformation under the UNTAC code to incitement under the Kingdom’s new penal code, which did not enter into force until December.
The US embassy in Phnom Penh said that the US was “disappointed in the prosecution of Leang Sokchouen”, in a statement released on Friday.
The US said the right to free speech was “fundamental tenet of a democratic system of governance”.
“We hope that the Royal Government of Cambodia will seriously consider the negative effect that the use of criminal prosecutions in response to the expression of political opinions can have on this right,” the statement said.
The politicisation and incompetence of Cambodia’s courts are on full display in this case
Human Rights Watch issued harsh criticisms of the Appeal Court decision and called on donors to “press Hun Sen and his government to change course”.
“The politicisation and incompetence of Cambodia’s courts are on full display in this case, in which an activist has been imprisoned simply for criticising the government,” Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, said in a statement on Friday.
“Sokchouen should never have been charged in the first place, but to have the charges changed on appeal with no opportunity to challenge them sets a new standard for arbitrariness. The government should immediately drop the charges and release him.”
HRW said Leang Sokchouen’s trial had been marred by “numerous procedural flaws as well as violations of fair trial provisions”.
Tith Sothea, a spokesman for the Press and Quick Reactions Unit at the Council of Ministers, defended the government’s record on judicial reform and dismissed the criticism of the court ruling as “normal”. He said HRW had “no right” to interfere with the court’s authority.
“The court has its independence and does not judge in order to satisfy Human Rights Watch, and sentences [are] based on the law and the actual offence,” he said.
Pol Sam Oeun, chief of the Appeal Court’s trial council, could not be reached for comment on Friday.
1 comment:
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl, President Ms. Rattana Keo,
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