Murder probe must be independent, Cambodia PM told

Hun Sen told anything less than independent investigation into death of prominent govt critic 'will lack any credibility'

Anadolu Agency | 3 August 2016

PHNOM PENH

Anti-corruption watchdog Global Witness (GW) has warned Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that anything less than an independent investigation into the death of a prominent government critic last month “will lack any credibility”.

Early last month, GW released a wide-ranging report on a “huge network of secret deal-making and corruption that has underpinned Hun Sen’s 30-year dictatorial reign of murder, torture and the imprisonment of his political opponents”.

Just days later, government critic Kem Ley, who had spoken out in support of the report and its allegations, was assassinated at a petrol station as he was having his morning coffee.

His killer, who escaped on foot, was arrested and claims he acted over an unpaid debt. Allegations abound, however, that Ley’s death was a contract killing -- an accusation the government has already sought to stifle by this week suing an opposition leader and senator for implying so.

In the open letter sent out Wednesday and signed by GW director and co-founder Patrick Alley, the murder was described as “the most recent in a long line of violence against members of the opposition, activists and journalists, and is a damning indictment of the democratic process and rule of law in Cambodia.”

“The early stages of the investigation into Kem Ley’s killing have done nothing to allay fears that, like the others before it, this investigation will fail to identify or prosecute those who ordered the crime,” Alley wrote.

“Your government must urgently commission an independent and thorough investigation into Kem Ley’s murder. The hundreds of thousands of Cambodian citizens who took to the streets for his funeral procession, together with the widespread international condemnation of the killing, should leave you in no doubt that anything short of an independent investigation will lack any credibility."

In the wake of the killing, a pair of activist twins have already fled the country and been granted refugee status by the United Nations in Thailand over fears for their safety back in Cambodia.

In the letter, Hun Sen is called upon to “protect the rights and security of its citizens, including those who criticize it”.

Independent investigations are frequently called for but rarely, if ever, carried out in Cambodia.

Similar calls were made regarding the shooting deaths of seven civilians by state forces between September 2013 and January 2014, but did not bear fruit.

Anadolu Agency efforts for a response from Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan were unsuccessful Wednesday.