A Cambodian opposition lawmaker yesterday pleaded for acquittal from a military court, which tried him on charges that he had illegally recruited an armed group to oppose the government.
The one-day proceedings were adjourned, and presiding judge Ney Thol said he will announce the verdict today.
The case has been widely seen as a government attempt to gag political dissent. It was initiated at the same time as cases against two other opposition lawmakers.
Cheam Channy of the Sam Rainsy Party was arrested on Feb. 3 after the National Assembly voted to strip his parliamentary immunity. He faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.
The prosecution also added a charge of fraud against Cheam Channy for allegedly collecting fees from recruits to the so-called armed group. The new charge carries a jail term of up to five years.
Cheam Channy, 44, called the charges "untrue," saying he had only acted as head of his party's defense committee -- approved by Sam Rainsy -- to gather information about problems related to defense and security matters.
"I have never recruited or appointed anyone in an army structure, nor have I taken money from anyone," he told a court room packed with some 130 observers, including journalists, diplomats and human rights workers.
"I am pleading with the court to set me free. I have never done anything even close to what the charges against me say," he added.
But military prosecutor Prum Sun Thol insisted that judge punish the lawmaker as charged, claiming that Cheam Channy's action "could affect national security."
Citing military intelligence and testimony by prosecution witnesses, he argued that Cheam Channy "is truly the leader in recruiting an armed group to fight against the government."
Mao Sophearith, one of Cheam Channy's two lawyers, ridiculed the prosecutor's argument and said: "How can this charge be sustained when not even a single gun, grenade, knife or stick was ever found?"
Cambodian and overseas human rights groups expect a guilty verdict and accuse Cambodian courts of corruption and bending to political influence.
"All of us, the human-rights workers, are really concerned, scared that unfortunately he will be convicted," said Kek Galabru, president of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho.
Sam Rainsy, the leader of the party named after himself, said the outcome of the trial "will be an important indication" of the government's intentions toward the opposition.
If Cheam Channy receives a severe sentence and others are charged as well, "the trend will be very worrying," said Sam Rainsy, who himself faces three lawsuits charging defamation and slander.
Prime Minister Hun Sen claims Sam Rainsy slandered him by accusing the government of plotting to kill its opponents. Sam Rainsy and Chea Poch, another opposition lawmaker facing legal charges, fled Cambodia after having their immunity revoked by the National Assembly.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese