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Showing posts with label Hy Vuthy's Killing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hy Vuthy's Killing. Show all posts
Thursday, February 24, 2011
FTUWKC's letter to Neth Savoeun asking him to investigate and arrest the assassins of union leader Hy Vuthy
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Cambodian Supreme Court will review trade union leader’s murder
Sok Sam Oeun (L) and Born Samnang (R) paraded by police in front of the media after their arrests. (Photo: Heng Sinith)23 December 2008
Amnesty International
Two men convicted of the murder of trade union activist Chea Vichea in Cambodia after a seriously flawed criminal investigation and a grossly unfair trial will have their case heard by the country's Supreme Court on 31 December.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were sentenced to 20 years for Chea Vichea’s murder. However, their detention and trial were plagued with human rights violations, including torture or other ill-treatment and deeply flawed court proceedings that relied on unfounded and inadmissible evidence.
"The Cambodian Supreme Court must dismiss the case against both men and ensure that they are released." said Amnesty International's Cambodia researcher Brittis Edman.
The organisation has long argued that the true perpetrators of the murder remain at large. The Free Trade Union (FTU), of which Chea Vichea was President, has also repeatedly called for the release of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun had alibis for the time of the shooting on 22 January 2004. Instead of conducting a thorough, impartial investigation, police officers threatened and detained people who would provide these alibis, and intimidated other witnesses.
Born Samnang repeatedly stated that police beat, coerced and bribed him into making a confession. Despite this, the Municipal Court accepted the confession as a central piece of evidence on the basis of which both men were convicted.
On 1 August 2005, the Municipal Court sentenced them both to 20 years’ imprisonment for murder. On 6 April 2007, the Appeal Court upheld the decision, despite the prosecutor’s acknowledgment there was insufficient evidence.
Amnesty International has repeated its calls to the Cambodian authorities to conduct an impartial and effective investigation into the murder of Chea Vichea so that those responsible for it are brought to justice.
The organisation has also urged the authorities to initiate a thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the conduct of the case - including allegations of torture or other ill-treatment by police during the initial interrogation of the two men, intimidation of witnesses and political interference with the judicial process.
Chea Vichea was murdered on 22 January 2004 after receiving a series of death threats. He was shot dead in an assassination-style killing at a news stand in central Phnom Penh. Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of his murder.
Since Chea Vichea’s death another two FTU activists have been killed in Phnom Penh. In May 2004, Ros Sovannareth, FTU President at the Trinunggal Komara factory, was murdered. Thach Saveth was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his murder in a one-hour trial described by observers as grossly unfair.
On 24 February 2007, Hy Vuthy, FTU President at the Suntex factory, was shot dead. No one has been brought to justice for this killing, and by September 2008, a Phnom Penh court official told media that the investigation had been closed for lack of evidence.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were sentenced to 20 years for Chea Vichea’s murder. However, their detention and trial were plagued with human rights violations, including torture or other ill-treatment and deeply flawed court proceedings that relied on unfounded and inadmissible evidence.
"The Cambodian Supreme Court must dismiss the case against both men and ensure that they are released." said Amnesty International's Cambodia researcher Brittis Edman.
The organisation has long argued that the true perpetrators of the murder remain at large. The Free Trade Union (FTU), of which Chea Vichea was President, has also repeatedly called for the release of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun.
Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun had alibis for the time of the shooting on 22 January 2004. Instead of conducting a thorough, impartial investigation, police officers threatened and detained people who would provide these alibis, and intimidated other witnesses.
Born Samnang repeatedly stated that police beat, coerced and bribed him into making a confession. Despite this, the Municipal Court accepted the confession as a central piece of evidence on the basis of which both men were convicted.
On 1 August 2005, the Municipal Court sentenced them both to 20 years’ imprisonment for murder. On 6 April 2007, the Appeal Court upheld the decision, despite the prosecutor’s acknowledgment there was insufficient evidence.
Amnesty International has repeated its calls to the Cambodian authorities to conduct an impartial and effective investigation into the murder of Chea Vichea so that those responsible for it are brought to justice.
The organisation has also urged the authorities to initiate a thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the conduct of the case - including allegations of torture or other ill-treatment by police during the initial interrogation of the two men, intimidation of witnesses and political interference with the judicial process.
Chea Vichea was murdered on 22 January 2004 after receiving a series of death threats. He was shot dead in an assassination-style killing at a news stand in central Phnom Penh. Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of his murder.
Since Chea Vichea’s death another two FTU activists have been killed in Phnom Penh. In May 2004, Ros Sovannareth, FTU President at the Trinunggal Komara factory, was murdered. Thach Saveth was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his murder in a one-hour trial described by observers as grossly unfair.
On 24 February 2007, Hy Vuthy, FTU President at the Suntex factory, was shot dead. No one has been brought to justice for this killing, and by September 2008, a Phnom Penh court official told media that the investigation had been closed for lack of evidence.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Hundreds rally in Cambodia for anniversary of union leader's murder
Tue, 22 Jan 2008
DPA
DPA
Phnom Penh - Hundreds of Cambodians joined a peaceful march Tuesday in memory of murdered unionist Chea Vichea. The march, which was sanctioned by the government and attended by politicians, unionists and ordinary citizens, marked the fourth anniversary of the shooting of Vichea in broad daylight on a busy city street as he read the newspaper.
"This is for his memory. I am very proud that so many people attended out of love for him," Vichea's brother, Chea Mony, who took over as the leader of the Free Trade Union of Cambodia (FTU) said.
The anniversary also prompted a stern reminder from the world's leading human rights groups, who are unhappy that two men were jailed 20 years for the murder in what they branded a show trial.
Both convicted men - Born Samnang and Sok Sam Ouen - had watertight alibis for the morning of the murder, and even disgraced former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Po, who oversaw the case prior to his arrest for a range of charges including murder, has said publicly that their convictions are false.
Four years after the murder six leading international human rights organizations and the world's largest trade union federation called on the Cambodian authorities to exonerate and free the two men unfairly convicted for the crime.
A joint statement by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Asian Human Rights Commission, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and the International Trade Union Confederation called on the government to review the case.
"The continued imprisonment of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun without any credible evidence against them is of grave concern," the groups said, calling the trial "grossly unfair."
"From the beginning, this case has been tainted by serious procedural flaws and violations of basic fair trial rights," Sara Colm of New York-based Human Rights Watch said in the statement.
"There is compelling evidence that these two men were targeted by the authorities as scapegoats for the murder, and nobody is fooled by this charade," Souhayr Belhassen, president of the Paris-based FIDH, added.
In addition to calling for the exoneration and immediate release of the two men, the seven organizations also urged the Cambodian government to launch a full and impartial investigation into the murder and subsequent prosecution of the two men.
The rights groups also drew attention to the murders of FTU official Hy Vuthy in February 2007 and FTU steering committee head Ros Sovannarith in 2004, and said a pattern was emerging that the government needed to address.
The FTU has been closely linked politically with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.
"This is for his memory. I am very proud that so many people attended out of love for him," Vichea's brother, Chea Mony, who took over as the leader of the Free Trade Union of Cambodia (FTU) said.
The anniversary also prompted a stern reminder from the world's leading human rights groups, who are unhappy that two men were jailed 20 years for the murder in what they branded a show trial.
Both convicted men - Born Samnang and Sok Sam Ouen - had watertight alibis for the morning of the murder, and even disgraced former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Po, who oversaw the case prior to his arrest for a range of charges including murder, has said publicly that their convictions are false.
Four years after the murder six leading international human rights organizations and the world's largest trade union federation called on the Cambodian authorities to exonerate and free the two men unfairly convicted for the crime.
A joint statement by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Asian Human Rights Commission, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and the International Trade Union Confederation called on the government to review the case.
"The continued imprisonment of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun without any credible evidence against them is of grave concern," the groups said, calling the trial "grossly unfair."
"From the beginning, this case has been tainted by serious procedural flaws and violations of basic fair trial rights," Sara Colm of New York-based Human Rights Watch said in the statement.
"There is compelling evidence that these two men were targeted by the authorities as scapegoats for the murder, and nobody is fooled by this charade," Souhayr Belhassen, president of the Paris-based FIDH, added.
In addition to calling for the exoneration and immediate release of the two men, the seven organizations also urged the Cambodian government to launch a full and impartial investigation into the murder and subsequent prosecution of the two men.
The rights groups also drew attention to the murders of FTU official Hy Vuthy in February 2007 and FTU steering committee head Ros Sovannarith in 2004, and said a pattern was emerging that the government needed to address.
The FTU has been closely linked politically with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Union leader calls for Cambodian police to catch killer
Feb 26, 2007
DPA
DPA
Phnom Penh - Cambodian union leader Chea Mony Monday called for police to arrest the people responsible for the shooting murder of one of his men on the weekend, saying the dead man's family has also been attacked.
Two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle shot and killed Free Trade Union (FTU) leader at the Suntex Garment Factory, Hy Vuthy, 36, three times as he drove home Saturday, according to police and eyewitness accounts.
Local media quoted police as saying robbery was not a motive as his motorbike was left at the scene.
Vuthy's murder was the third of an FTU representative since the 2004 shooting of Mony's brother Chea Vichea, then-FTU president. Four months later FTU representative at another local garment factory, Ros Sovannareth, was also shot and killed.
'Vuthy had received threats that if he did not resign he would be killed, but he had not resigned at the time of his death,' Mony said.
'At the same time as he was being murdered, unknown assailants attacked his family's home with rocks. I call on police to fully investigate these crimes,' he added. 'This killing is a direct attempt to scare our members.'
Two men were jailed over Vichea's murder, but rights groups have dismissed their convictions as a sham and claim the real killers are still at large. No one has ever been arrested in connection with Sovannareth's murder.
This marks the third killing of FTU officials since the union's president Chea Vichea was shot dead in January 2004.
A group calling itself the Cambodian Watchdog Council International (CWCI) released a statement Monday condemning the murder and also calling on police to launch a thorough investigation.
The FTU, seen as linked to the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, is the most powerful union in the garment factory sector and is involved in more strikes and labour disputes than any other union in the country.
Cambodia is still in the process of setting up an Arbitration Court where disputes can be settled through neutral and transparent mediation, a process expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle shot and killed Free Trade Union (FTU) leader at the Suntex Garment Factory, Hy Vuthy, 36, three times as he drove home Saturday, according to police and eyewitness accounts.
Local media quoted police as saying robbery was not a motive as his motorbike was left at the scene.
Vuthy's murder was the third of an FTU representative since the 2004 shooting of Mony's brother Chea Vichea, then-FTU president. Four months later FTU representative at another local garment factory, Ros Sovannareth, was also shot and killed.
'Vuthy had received threats that if he did not resign he would be killed, but he had not resigned at the time of his death,' Mony said.
'At the same time as he was being murdered, unknown assailants attacked his family's home with rocks. I call on police to fully investigate these crimes,' he added. 'This killing is a direct attempt to scare our members.'
Two men were jailed over Vichea's murder, but rights groups have dismissed their convictions as a sham and claim the real killers are still at large. No one has ever been arrested in connection with Sovannareth's murder.
This marks the third killing of FTU officials since the union's president Chea Vichea was shot dead in January 2004.
A group calling itself the Cambodian Watchdog Council International (CWCI) released a statement Monday condemning the murder and also calling on police to launch a thorough investigation.
The FTU, seen as linked to the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, is the most powerful union in the garment factory sector and is involved in more strikes and labour disputes than any other union in the country.
Cambodia is still in the process of setting up an Arbitration Court where disputes can be settled through neutral and transparent mediation, a process expected to be completed by the end of this year.
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