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Khmer Times/Taing Vida | Tuesday, 03 May 2016
Kem Sokha, the acting president of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), will be summoned to court on May 11 over the defamation lawsuit filed by Thy Sovanntha, while two other CNRP members will be summoned later this month over the sex scandal involving Mr. Sokha’s alleged mistress Khom Chandaraty. Ms. Sovanntha, 20, filed the defamation case against Mr. Sokha after a series of recorded phone calls allegedly between Mr. Sokha and Ms. Chandaraty were leaked online, with the voice allegedly of Mr. Sokha claiming Ms. Sovanntha used her reputation as a CNRP activist for her own benefit and to steal money from overseas donors.
During questioning by Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) officials last week, Ms. Sovanntha denied claims she was bringing the case forward at the request of a political patron and demanded $1 million in damages be awarded to her, saying the recordings tarnished her honor and dignity.
She also said Mr. Sokha should be charged with sex trafficking, claiming he took Ms. Chandaraty on a trip to Bangkok.
Court prosecutor Keo Socheat also issued a summons to CNRP members To Vann Chan and Pin Ratana for May 16 after Ms. Chandaraty claimed in an open letter that the pair helped Mr. Sokha and Ms. Chandaraty in their trip to the Thai capital. She said they cheated her and made her fear for her personal safety.
Senior opposition official Son Chhay said the summons were a clear indication of the government’s power over the judicial system and the case was without legal basis.
“The court has made people lose confidence and the summons of three opposition MPs shows the serious and widespread problems stemming from the ACU, which should resolve other social issues,” he said.
The scandal surrounding Mr. Sokha and Ms. Chandaraty escalated on Monday when four Adhoc officials were charged with bribing a witness, while an NEC official and UN official Sally Soen, despite his diplomatic immunity, were charged with conspiring to bribe a witness. A CNRP commune chief was also charged in relation to the case.
In a statement released yesterday, the CNRP condemned the ACU’s actions. It said it deplored its abuse of power as part of a political game to harass human rights activists and opposition officials to command political dominance in the lead-up to the 2017-18 elections.
The statement appealed to the international community, particularly donor countries, to intervene and stop the government’s actions.
ACU chairman Om Yentieng released his own statement, defending the ACU’s actions as within legal parameters and said the opposition had every right to sue him if they could gather enough evidence to support their claims.
“I am happy to face trial if I really had abused power. Sue me. Do not scream and act like a judge to say I am guilty,” he said.
Despite his remarks, dozens of local and international NGOs, including Transparency International and the Global Anti-Corruption Organization, slammed the arrests, calling on the government to respect the space for civil society and end the harassment and intimidation of activists.
“Transparency International is seriously concerned about increasing allegations of political interference and intimidation of human rights and anti-corruption activists,” said Elena Panfilova, the vice-chair of Transparency International.
“The Anti-Corruption Unit should not be used in such a way that intimidates and silences the voice of civil society activists. This sends the wrong message, not only to the people of Cambodia, but to the rest of the world. Civil society needs to be protected so that it can support citizens.”
“The Cambodian government’s politically-motivated prosecutions of six human rights defenders are part of a campaign to curtail domestic and international human rights monitoring in Cambodia,” Human Rights Watch said yesterday.
“The cases, which show clear involvement by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, target veteran professionals of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association and the Cambodia Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
“No one should mistake these prosecutions for anything other than Prime Minister Hun Sen’s effort to undo decades of work by Cambodian groups and the UN to promote the human rights of all Cambodians,” said Brad Adam, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“To ensure the future of human rights work in Cambodia, donors and the UN as a whole should stand together against Cambodian government legal actions and other manoeuvers aimed to intimidate and clamp down on Cambodia’s courageous human rights advocates.”
Clik here to view.
Khmer Times/Taing Vida | Tuesday, 03 May 2016
Kem Sokha, the acting president of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), will be summoned to court on May 11 over the defamation lawsuit filed by Thy Sovanntha, while two other CNRP members will be summoned later this month over the sex scandal involving Mr. Sokha’s alleged mistress Khom Chandaraty. Ms. Sovanntha, 20, filed the defamation case against Mr. Sokha after a series of recorded phone calls allegedly between Mr. Sokha and Ms. Chandaraty were leaked online, with the voice allegedly of Mr. Sokha claiming Ms. Sovanntha used her reputation as a CNRP activist for her own benefit and to steal money from overseas donors.
During questioning by Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) officials last week, Ms. Sovanntha denied claims she was bringing the case forward at the request of a political patron and demanded $1 million in damages be awarded to her, saying the recordings tarnished her honor and dignity.
She also said Mr. Sokha should be charged with sex trafficking, claiming he took Ms. Chandaraty on a trip to Bangkok.
Court prosecutor Keo Socheat also issued a summons to CNRP members To Vann Chan and Pin Ratana for May 16 after Ms. Chandaraty claimed in an open letter that the pair helped Mr. Sokha and Ms. Chandaraty in their trip to the Thai capital. She said they cheated her and made her fear for her personal safety.
Senior opposition official Son Chhay said the summons were a clear indication of the government’s power over the judicial system and the case was without legal basis.
“The court has made people lose confidence and the summons of three opposition MPs shows the serious and widespread problems stemming from the ACU, which should resolve other social issues,” he said.
The scandal surrounding Mr. Sokha and Ms. Chandaraty escalated on Monday when four Adhoc officials were charged with bribing a witness, while an NEC official and UN official Sally Soen, despite his diplomatic immunity, were charged with conspiring to bribe a witness. A CNRP commune chief was also charged in relation to the case.
In a statement released yesterday, the CNRP condemned the ACU’s actions. It said it deplored its abuse of power as part of a political game to harass human rights activists and opposition officials to command political dominance in the lead-up to the 2017-18 elections.
The statement appealed to the international community, particularly donor countries, to intervene and stop the government’s actions.
ACU chairman Om Yentieng released his own statement, defending the ACU’s actions as within legal parameters and said the opposition had every right to sue him if they could gather enough evidence to support their claims.
“I am happy to face trial if I really had abused power. Sue me. Do not scream and act like a judge to say I am guilty,” he said.
Despite his remarks, dozens of local and international NGOs, including Transparency International and the Global Anti-Corruption Organization, slammed the arrests, calling on the government to respect the space for civil society and end the harassment and intimidation of activists.
“Transparency International is seriously concerned about increasing allegations of political interference and intimidation of human rights and anti-corruption activists,” said Elena Panfilova, the vice-chair of Transparency International.
“The Anti-Corruption Unit should not be used in such a way that intimidates and silences the voice of civil society activists. This sends the wrong message, not only to the people of Cambodia, but to the rest of the world. Civil society needs to be protected so that it can support citizens.”
“The Cambodian government’s politically-motivated prosecutions of six human rights defenders are part of a campaign to curtail domestic and international human rights monitoring in Cambodia,” Human Rights Watch said yesterday.
“The cases, which show clear involvement by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, target veteran professionals of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association and the Cambodia Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
“No one should mistake these prosecutions for anything other than Prime Minister Hun Sen’s effort to undo decades of work by Cambodian groups and the UN to promote the human rights of all Cambodians,” said Brad Adam, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“To ensure the future of human rights work in Cambodia, donors and the UN as a whole should stand together against Cambodian government legal actions and other manoeuvers aimed to intimidate and clamp down on Cambodia’s courageous human rights advocates.”