Skip to main content

Another defamation conviction upheld against Cambodian ex-opposition leader Sam Rainsy

Ex-opposition leader Sam Rainsy speaks about the political situation in Cambodia during a National Press Club forum in Australia in February. Photo supplied

Kim Sarom and Andrew Nachemson | The Phnom Penh Post 
Publication date 06 March 2018 | 16:52 ICT

The Appeal Court on Tuesday upheld yet another conviction against former opposition leader Sam Rainsy, this one for claiming Prime Minister Hun Sen bribed pro-government social media activist Thy Sovantha.

Rainsy made the accusation in France in January of last year, after messages allegedly between the premier and Sovantha, an opposition activist-turned-ruling party darling, were leaked to her Facebook page in November.

The messages dealt with undermining Rainsy’s now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, with the prime minister allegedly calling Sovantha “grandchild” and offering her $1 million to fund her activities.

Rainsy was found guilty of defamation in absentia in December, and ordered to pay $1 million to the prime minister.

Presiding Judge In Vannvibol said Rainsy’s post “affected the dignity and reputation of the prime minister locally and overseas”.

The case is one of at least eight currently hanging over the self-exiled political figure since a prior round of pardons in 2013. He has lived abroad to avoid imprisonment since 2015.

In an email, Rainsy derided the “Kangaroo Court” that he said ignored “irrefutable evidence”. Nevertheless, he pledged to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, for another “opportunity to expose Hun Sen’s wrongdoings”.

He called for the court to investigate the more than 400 leaked messages which he claimed contained personal details that prove their authenticity.

A similar but separate lawsuit has been filed by Sovantha, who has claimed the messages were fabricated and her Facebook page was hacked.

Meanwhile, Rainsy went on an offensive of his own, tweeting demands for Hun Sen to step down or be removed.

Rainsy said the premier could negotiate a “safe exit” or “be forced to step down” by the people and armed forces.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hun Sen’s lawyer receives promotion

Ky Tech, lawyer for Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaks with reporters after filing a complaint against former Funcinpec official Lu Lay Sreng last October. Pha Lina Mech Dara | The Phnom Penh Post Publication date 07 March 2018 | 07:32 ICT After leading the legal team that won the widely condemned dissolution of the CNRP at the Supreme Court in November, Ky Tech, lawyer for the Council of Ministers and Prime Minister Hun Sen, has been given a rank equivalent to minister just weeks after he was inducted into the CPP’s Central Committee. Tech has filed a slew of defamation cases against ex-opposition leader Sam Rainsy on behalf of Hun Sen, and represented the Interior Ministry in its legal effort to disband his Cambodia National Rescue Party. A royal decree, signed on February 3 by acting head of state Say Chhum, elevated the lawyer to the rank of minister. Cambodian People’s Party spokesman Sok Eysan said that the promotion reflects Tech’s achievements for the people, including the CNRP’s d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bhutan showcase: Film fest to feature flicks from over the hills and far away

A screenshot from The Prophecy, which will screen this evening at the Cambodia International Film Festival. Photo supplied Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon | The Phnom Penh Post Publication date 07 March 2018 | 07:44 ICT With three feature films at this year’s Cambodia International Film Festival, the Buddhist mountain Kingdom of Bhutan this week gets a rare moment in the spotlight for Phnom Penh’s audiences. In town for the screenings, actor Loday Chophel breaks into a smile when asked how he came to play the leading role in The Prophecy, one of just a handful of movies produced by his country each year. “Can I tell you?” he asks tentatively before launching into an explanation. Born in an eastern roadside village called Wamrong, consisting of no more than 15 houses perched on a mountainside, the 38-year-old recalls that there was just one television set in the whole town, at a local convenience store. “I would go sneak in and watch films,” he says. TV and film was a novelty at the time...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rainsy’s vow of ‘autonomy’ for ethnic group sets off treason probe

A screenshot of a video showing former opposition leader Sam Rainsy (right) at an event in the United States in 2013 with Degar activist Kok Ksor. Photo supplied Niem Chheng and Ananth Baliga | The Phnom Penh Post Publication date 08 March 2018 | 06:45 ICT The Interior Ministry said it will investigate documents and a video from 2013 that resurfaced yesterday showing former opposition leader Sam Rainsy committing to upholding the rights of ethnic minorities in four northeastern Cambodian provinces, with a Justice Ministry spokesman saying it qualified as “treason”. The material was released on government mouthpiece Fresh News and pertains to an April 2013 meeting in the United States between Rainsy, at the time the exiled president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, and Kok Ksor, the head of the Montagnard Foundation Inc. Ksor started the foundation to oppose discrimination faced by the Degar community in Vietnam, who are also known as the Montagnards. Degar is an umbrella term for...
Post a Comment
Read more