Robert Carmichael,
Phnom Penh
24th July, 2009
24th July, 2009
PHOTO
Cambodian Opposition MP Mu Sochua is surrounded as she leaves court on July 24, 2009. A court as delayed judgement in the defamation case brought against her by Cambodian PM Hun Sen until August 4. [ABC/Robert Carmichael]
Cambodian Opposition MP Mu Sochua is surrounded as she leaves court on July 24, 2009. A court as delayed judgement in the defamation case brought against her by Cambodian PM Hun Sen until August 4. [ABC/Robert Carmichael]
A Cambodian parliamentarian has urged the judge presiding over her defamation case to give her justice, and deliver an historic ruling for the country's women.
But Opposition MP Mu Sochua won't know the outcome of the case - brought against her by Prime Minister Hun Sen - until next month.
A Cambodian court on Friday delayed judgement in the high-profile case. A verdict is now expected August 4.
Dozens of supporters cheered Mu Sochua as she left the court. Hun Sen sued Mu Sochua, a former minister of women's affairs, after she filed a legal case against him earlier this year. Her case against the Prime Minister was dismissed several weeks ago.
Political pressureA number of Mu Sochua party MPs attended the hearing, along with human rights observers and diplomats. After making her appeal to the judge, she told the court she would remain silent as she had been unable to find a lawyer to represent her. Her previous lawyer was forced to quit after coming under intense political pressure. The court case against her is the latest in a series brought by the government against the opposition, the media and NGOs. Human rights groups have decried the crackdown as an abuse of Cambodia's young democracy.
3 comments:
Do we see the benefit of getting the international involved? Now Saddam Hun Sen, need times to brainstorming and deciding with his paid judges whether to let Mrs. Mu Sochua win or lose of this case. If she wins, this will be unpresidented. Hun Sen has never loss a court case.
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The international could bring many benefits. French energy companies are criticized a lot for their involvement in Myanmar because of it's human rights abuses. Shareholders don't like to be associated with human right abuses. Therefore, investments in the country could be threatened.
The court case is meaningless. The outcome is already known as the reason for the defamation charges are obviously politically motivated. It is a sign of weakness that the government can see no other way of dealing with critics than acting unconstitutionally which results in our nation losing face amongst the nations over the world and people losing faith in 'democratic institutions'.
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