(SEAPA/IFEX) - A Cambodian court found two journalists guilty of defamation on 22 September 2009 for publishing an article in which an opposition lawmaker criticized a group of military officers, media reports said.
The Associated Press said "Cambodian Daily" editor-in-chief Kevin Doyle and reporter Neou Vannarin were each fined US$1,000. Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sin Visal said, "The article published in their paper caused confusion among the Cambodian people and damaged the dignity of the military officers."
Opposition legislator Ho Vann, who had also been charged with defamation by a group of 22 senior military officers, was acquitted for lack of evidence, according to Judge Sin Visal.
The "Cambodia Daily" ran a story in April of this year in which Ho Vann, a member of the Sam Rainsy Party, was quoted as saying that the military certificates received by the officers in a year-long program in Vietnam were "useless". The officers sued Ho Vann for defamation.
The conviction came on the same day that opposition leader Sam Rainsy told members of the international media in a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand that Prime Minister Hun Sen's government had been actively suppressing dissent in Cambodia.
In the SEAPA-sponsored event, Sam Rainsy accused Hun Sen of depriving the Cambodian government of hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue through graft, corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
He said that the worldwide economic crisis was also taking its toll on ordinary Cambodians, resulting in simmering discontentment among the population. Sam Rainsy said Hun Sen was thus cracking down on the media, the opposition and even civil society groups to contain the situation.
Duong Hak Sam Rithy, vice president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ), claimed in the SEAPA-sponsored press conference that some 10 journalists have been killed by suspected government agents.
In July of this year, Ho Vann, along with a party colleague, Mu Sochua, were stripped of their parliamentary immunity to enable the government to charge them with defamation.
Last month, the same court convicted Mu Sochua of defaming Hun Sen and ordered her to pay US$2,000 to the state and another US$1,882 in compensation to the prime minister.
Doyle, an Irish national, said the newspaper will appeal against the court's ruling.
Source: Southeast Asian Press Alliance
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The Associated Press said "Cambodian Daily" editor-in-chief Kevin Doyle and reporter Neou Vannarin were each fined US$1,000. Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sin Visal said, "The article published in their paper caused confusion among the Cambodian people and damaged the dignity of the military officers."
Opposition legislator Ho Vann, who had also been charged with defamation by a group of 22 senior military officers, was acquitted for lack of evidence, according to Judge Sin Visal.
The "Cambodia Daily" ran a story in April of this year in which Ho Vann, a member of the Sam Rainsy Party, was quoted as saying that the military certificates received by the officers in a year-long program in Vietnam were "useless". The officers sued Ho Vann for defamation.
The conviction came on the same day that opposition leader Sam Rainsy told members of the international media in a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand that Prime Minister Hun Sen's government had been actively suppressing dissent in Cambodia.
In the SEAPA-sponsored event, Sam Rainsy accused Hun Sen of depriving the Cambodian government of hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue through graft, corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
He said that the worldwide economic crisis was also taking its toll on ordinary Cambodians, resulting in simmering discontentment among the population. Sam Rainsy said Hun Sen was thus cracking down on the media, the opposition and even civil society groups to contain the situation.
Duong Hak Sam Rithy, vice president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ), claimed in the SEAPA-sponsored press conference that some 10 journalists have been killed by suspected government agents.
In July of this year, Ho Vann, along with a party colleague, Mu Sochua, were stripped of their parliamentary immunity to enable the government to charge them with defamation.
Last month, the same court convicted Mu Sochua of defaming Hun Sen and ordered her to pay US$2,000 to the state and another US$1,882 in compensation to the prime minister.
Doyle, an Irish national, said the newspaper will appeal against the court's ruling.
Source: Southeast Asian Press Alliance
Unit 3B, Thakolsuk Place
No. 115 Tetdumri Road
Dusit, Bangkok 10300
Thailand
seapa (@) seapa.org
Phone: +66 2 243 5579
Fax: +66 2 244 8749
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
ReplyDeleteTortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Executions
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.