Self-exiled Cambodian opposition leader sentenced for inciting chaos
Xinhua / Business Standard | 28 Dec. 2016
A Cambodian court on
Tuesday sentenced, in absentia, self-exiled opposition leader Sam
Rainsy to five years in prison for conspiring to incite chaos in the
country through posting fake documents on his Facebook page.
Rainsy, 67, leader of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party
(CNRP), was accused of conspiring to falsify a border treaty signed
between Cambodia and Vietnam, using the fake treaty and inciting chaos
to social security, Xinhua news agency reported.
"After hearing a witness's testimony, conclusion statements from the
prosecutor and the lawyer for the defendants, and thoroughly looking
into documents and evidence, the court decides to sentence Sam Rainsy to five years in prison," said the verdict read by Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge Leang Samnath.
The court also sentenced, in absentia, Rainsy's two aides, who maintained his Facebook page, to five years in prison with two years of that suspended on the same charges.
The two aides fled Cambodia to France in August 2015 to avoid arrest.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Rainsy and his two assistants.
Rainsy has been living in exile in France since November 2015 to avoid a two-year prison sentence over a defamation charge.
The charges against the opposition leader relate to a video posted to his Facebook page
that features opposition senator Hong Sok Hour, who was arrested on
August 15, 2015, in Phnom Penh, presenting a fake border treaty between
Cambodia and Vietnam.
On November 7, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced
Hong Sok Hour to seven years in prison for falsifying the border
treaty, using the fake treaty, and inciting chaos to social security.
He is serving his prison term in Prey Sar Prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
/
No comments:
Post a Comment