Friday, 9 December 2016

Sok Hour revisited Rainsy, Facebook admins’ case to be heard

Hong Sok Hour arrives at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh earlier this year. Pha Lina


The Phnom Penh Municipal Court today is set to hear the cases of CNRP president Sam Rainsy and two of his Facebook administrators, who stand accused as “accomplices” in the forgery and incitement case that saw opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour sentenced to seven years.

Sok Hour was convicted over comments in which he said a copy of a 1979 treaty showed the government offering to “dissolve” its border with Vietnam. The government accused him of forgery and incitement, saying the real document used the word “redefine”.

Rainsy and admins Sambath Satya, 25, and Chong Leang Ueng, 20, were named as co-conspirators because the remarks were posted on Rainsy’s Facebook page. The two admins have reportedly received asylum in France.

On Facebook yesterday, Rainsy denied involvement, and called Sok Hour’s conviction “ridiculous”, saying the offending document was simply a mistranslation.

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said yesterday the party hoped to negotiate Rainsy’s outstanding cases. But the CPP’s Sok Eysan said Rainsy’s case was “very tough”, calling him a “dishonest dialogue partner”.

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