Friday, March 08, 2013

Glimmer of hope for Sonando [-Of course, the gov't dreamed up charges against Mam Sonando!]

Mam Sonando greets reporters as he enters the Appeal Court before his hearing yesterday. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

07 March 2013
By Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post

Prosecutors at the Appeal Court asked yesterday for the strongest charges levied against Beehive radio station owner Mam Sonando to be replaced with lighter ones, likely paving the way for a reduction in his sentence when the verdict is delivered next Thursday.

Speaking at the close of the second and final day of the appeal hearing of Sonando and co-defendants Chan Sovann and Touch Rin, prosecutor Hean Rith said the re-investigation suggested little evidence in support of the strongest insurrection accusations.

There is not any reason to believe that Mam Sonando incited residents to clear land or use weapons illegally against the government officials, he said.

The strongest of Sonando’s convictions – insurrection and inciting people to take up arms against the government – should be dropped and replaced by Forestry Law charges, suggested Rith.

The suggested charges of clearing forest land and claiming ownership still carry five- to 10-year sentences.


In October, the 71-year-old Sonando was sentenced to 20 years, accused of masterminding a separatist movement in Kratie’s Pro Ma village. Co-defendants Kan Sovan, aka Chan Sovann, and Touch Siem, aka Touch Rin, were sentenced to three and five years, respectively, on related charges.

The so-called secession movement was used as justification by the government for a violent mass eviction in May that resulted in the death of a teenage girl. While no investigation of the government security forces’ shooting was launched, more than half a dozen local villagers were promptly arrested in conjunction with the supposed movement. Sonando, meanwhile, was later labelled by Prime Minister Hun Sen as the mastermind and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Both the claims of secession and the trial were roundly derided by rights groups as contrivances backed by no evidence.

At yesterday’s session, three plaintiffs – including a village chief and police officer – gave testimony that appeared to exculpate Sonando. All three said they had never seen Mam Sonando nor knew of him, apart from his radio broadcasts.

“I never saw Mam Sonando but heard his name only on the radio, and he never visited Pro Ma village,” said villager Chheang Chhat.

Seven suspects-turned-witnesses who provided the bulk of the case against Sonando, and were later released, failed to show up to the hearing.

Lawyers for Sonando, Ream and Sovann called on the judges to drop the charges entirely, but both they and rights monitors were cautiously optimistic about the defendants’ prospects following the prosecutor’s request.

In an unprecedented step, the court for the first time accepted an independent expert analysis – a damning brief submitted by the Cambodian Centre of Human Rights that detailed the many flaws of the original Municipal Court hearing.

“If the verdict is legally rendered, Sonando will be freed,” said CCHR President Ou Virak.

Like other rights monitors, Licadho techinical supervisor Am Sam Ath, said he was displeased by the attempted charge swap – for which there appeared to be no evidence – but remained somewhat optimistic.

Speaking to journalists as he was hustled from the courtroom into a van, a grinning Sonando for the second day in a row flashed “victory” signs and professed complete calm.

“I’m happy but not 100 per cent yet, because I’m not wrong at all,” he said, adding that he was “confident” the court would make the right decision.

By the end of day two, an estimated 800 supporters who demonstrated outside the court’s gates had been whittled down to a spare 100. As the details of the hearing trickled from the courtroom into the crowd later yesterday afternoon, a cheer arose from the crowd. An organiser grabbed a loudspeaker and began instructing people on the plan of action.

“Now we say goodbye, but next week, on the 14th, we will return. And we will see that justice is served.”

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

KI-MEDIA,

Is there a free Proxysite just in case KI-MEDIA is down? Thanks for replay

Anonymous said...

យើងចេះតែឆ្ងល់យូរមកហើយថា ពេលអាជនក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុនសែន
ចាប់អាមេឃាដករ ហេងពៅ បានងាយស្រួលម្ល៉េះ ចុះទំរាំ
អាសួនសេរីរដ្ឋា កាន់តែស្រួល ហេតុអ្វី អាជនក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុន
សែនមិនចេញបញ្ជាឱ្យគេចាប់អាសួនសេរីរដ្ឋា?
តើពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរមានចម្ងល់ទៅលើរឿងអា សេរីរដ្ឋា
ដែលស្រែកជេរប្រមាថតិះដៀលសព្វបែបយ៉ាងទៅលើ
អាជនក្បត់ ហេតុអ្វី អាជនក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុនសែន មិនអើពើ?
មួយទៀតរឿងការបង្កើតចលនាអំណាច "ពុលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ" ស្អ ស្អា ស្អិ ស្អីហ្នឹង
គឺជាវិធីល្បួងអោយចូលក្នុងអន្ទាក់អាហ៊ុនសែន របស់អាសួនសេរីរដ្ឋាទេ...
ឃើញលោក ម៉ម សូណង់ដូ ជាប់គុក ម្ភៃឆ្នាំដោយសារវាទេ?

Anonymous said...

PM should apologie to Mam Sonando and other educated ones whom he has done wrongly to, because PM is not an educated enough to understand what freedom of speech meant anyway. The word 'democracy' means, everyone has the right to fight for what is right, e.g if some come into your home and take away your possessions, what would you do? off course you have to fight for it, because it is the right thing to do. No one say to the theif that it is ok to steal. Once you are caught you ough to give it back plus with punishment for doing harm to another person.

Therefore, to lock our activists up, it is like helping the criminals to get away from committing the crimes and say 'it ok to steal, to kill and to do wrong'. PM needs to think carefully between what is right and wrong and to see PM did this to the innocent ones, it shows that PM himself is actually of the criminals. If so, we have to find way to lock PM in jail instead, Plus why would criminals get away from injustice that they have committed. The thing is, the truth will always be the truth, you can run but you can not hide.

Right now we all know that PM is behind all the criminal activities in Cambodia but God is testing him to see how long will he last? since nothing last forever, really. If PM wants to save his soul, he needs to act now, that is saying sorry to those innocent ones and let them go. again or else what goes around will eventually come around like always.

Anonymous said...

អាឆ្កែសួនសេរីរដ្ឋាធ្វើនយោបាយមានតែក្ត៣!
បោកប្រាស់ខ្មែរក្រៅប្រទេស៣ឆាំ្នយកលុយការប្រពន្ធ!
បើសា្តប់អាឆ្កែសួនសេរីរដ្ឋានិយាយ,វាថាវាធ្លាប់អោយលុយគេឯងគ្រប់គ្នា!
អោយតាំងពីលឹមពិសិដ្ឋ,មាជសុវណ្ណារ៉ា(អោយលុយ៤០០០ដុល្លាការប្រពន្ធ),គង់សំណាង,ទៀងណារិទ្ធ,ម៉ែន-វណ្ណៈ,ប៊ុន-រដ្ឋា....។
បើអាឆ្កែសួនសេរីរដ្ឋាវាមានលុយវាការប្រពន្ធតាំងពីយួរណាស់មកហើយ!មិនចាំបាច់ចំណាយពេល៣ឆាំ្នបោកខ្មែរក្រៅប្រទេសយកលុយការប្រពន្ធទេ!
អាឆ្កែសួនសេរីរដ្ឋាជាពូជត្រកូលអាក្បត់ជាតិ!
សូមបងប្អូនខ្មែរកុំទៅបោះឆ្នោតហើយនំាគ្នាប្រមូលលុយអោយអាឆ្កែសួនសេរីរដ្ឋាចិញ្ចឹមប្រពន្ធវាទៅ!
ព្រោះអាឆ្កែសួនសេរីរដ្ឋាវាខ្វះលុយចិញ្ចឹមប្រពន្ធ!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Sonando should not be punished but credited and honored for his good work for the poor and the whole society.

Anonymous said...

យើងចេះតែឆ្ងល់យូរមកហើយថា ពេលអាជនក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុនសែន
ចាប់អាមេឃាដករ ហេងពៅបានងាយស្រួលម្ល៉េះ ចុះទំរាំ
អា(សំរាំង) ស៊ី កាន់តែស្រួល ហេតុអ្វី អាជនក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុន
សែនមិនចេញបញ្ជាឱ្យគេចាប់អា(សំរាំង) ស៊ី?
តើពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរមានចម្ងល់ទៅលើរឿងអា (សំរាំង) ស៊ី
ដែលមិនដែលស្រែកជេរប្រមាថតិះដៀលទៅលើ
អាជនក្បត់ ហេតុអ្វី អាជនក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុនសែន មិនអើពើ?
មួយទៀតរឿងការបង្កើតគណបក្ស "សង្គ្រោះអាយួន" ស្អ ស្អា ស្អិ ស្អីហ្នឹង
គឺជាវិធីល្បួងអោយចូលក្នុងអន្ទាក់អាហ៊ុនសែន របស់អា(សំរាំង) ស៊ី,អាកឹម សុខា,មីមួ សុខហួទេ...
ឃើញលោក ម៉ម សូណង់ដូ ជាប់គុក ម្ភៃឆ្នាំដោយសារពួកវាទេ?

Anonymous said...

why he hair white? stressed in jail?

Anonymous said...

why he hair white?
Songsay ter yuon dak tnam ei muoy heuil?