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| Um Sam An's lawyer Hem Socheat speaks to reporters in Phnom Penh after the court's ruling, Dec. 23, 2016. |
Cambodian Opposition Lawmaker Loses Appeal, Returns to Jail
RFA | 23 December 2016
An appeals court in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Friday turned
down a request by a jailed opposition parliamentarian that it overturn a
prison term imposed in connection with a border dispute with
neighboring Vietnam.
Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmaker Um Sam An was handed a two-and-a half year sentence and a 4 million riel (U.S. $976) fine in October for “inciting discrimination” and “inciting social instability.”
The charges arose from
accusations posted on the lawmaker’s Facebook page that the ruling
Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) had failed to stop land encroachment by
Vietnam and used improper maps to demarcate the border between the two
former colonies of France.Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmaker Um Sam An was handed a two-and-a half year sentence and a 4 million riel (U.S. $976) fine in October for “inciting discrimination” and “inciting social instability.”
Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen had ordered police in April to arrest anyone accusing the government of using “fake” maps to cede national territory to Vietnam, which invaded and occupied Cambodia in 1979 to overthrow the rule of the Khmer Rouge.
In rejecting Um Sam An’s appeal on Dec. 23, Seng Sivutha—president of the Hearing Council of the Appellate Court—said that the parliamentarian’s actions had brought disorder to society and damaged the government’s reputation and dignity.
Defense attorney Hem Socheat said however that the appellate court’s move in upholding the judgment of the lower court was politically motivated and had demonstrated bias against his client.
Unfair judgment
“We see this as unfair,” Hem Socheat told reporters following the announcement of the court’s decision. “The courts always behave like this.”
“The courts say they are independent and act according to the law, but for my clients who are involved in political cases, the courts always take prompt action by detaining, arresting, and prosecuting them.”
“I have never seen a court use its independent power to free someone unless a political solution has been reached,” he said, adding that he will now appeal to Cambodia’s Supreme Court to secure his client’s release.
Speaking to RFA’s Khmer Service, Cambodia-based political observer Kim Sok said that the rejection of Um Sam An’s appeal only serves to strengthen the CPP ‘s campaign to destroy its political opposition and win favor with Vietnam.
“What they are doing here is pushing for Vietnam to reach its goals [for a favorable border demarcation] quickly in case the CPP loses political power in the near future, Kim Sok said.
“Thus, they will never allow Um Sam An, who is a prominent and outspoken member of the CNRP, to be released anytime soon,” he said.
Um Sam An was arrested and punished for insulting United Nations. He accused UN in colluding with Cambodian government with the fake maps. UN already came to Cambodia with the official maps, compared their maps with the maps from Cambodian government.
ReplyDeleteCNRP was a no show at the public and official map comparison meeting. Um Sam An waited till UN left Cambodia then came out in public with a newly found map from New York, USA in an unknown library. Somehow he alone determined that the maps he found were to be official and all maps from United Nations and Cambodian government were fake.
So, he deserved to go to jail for pulling a trick as such.