Ya Soknim (L) and In Solyda (R) cried during the press conference on Wednesday fearing for their lives if Chea Ratha was allowed to come back to Cambodia a free person.Updated
Cambodian human rights groups have criticised the court's handling of an acid attack case, allegedly involving a senior policewoman and the family of her beauty-queen lover.
In May last year, the aunt of the former model was attacked by two men, who held her down and poured acid over her face and body. Police charged the senior policewoman and six of her associates for attempted killing, but this week a municipal court acquitted them of all charges.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speakers: Ya Soknim, survivor of the acid attack; Naly Pilorge, director of LICADHO; Chhun Chenda Sophea, program manager at the Cambodian Acid Attack Survivors Center
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COCHRANE: To Cambodia, where human rights groups have criticised the court's handling of an acid attack case, allegedly involving a senior policewoman and the family of her beauty-queen lover.
Chea Ratha, the former deputy chief of staff of the National Military Police had a lesbian relationship with In Solyda, which soured early last year.
The TV celebrity went into hiding, fearing retribution for ending the relationship, and allegedly, there followed a string of threats against her family, with the senior policewoman promising to "spill blood" if In Solyda's aunt did not reveal the whereabouts of the former model.
In May last year, the aunt - Ya Soknim - was attacked by two men, who held her down and poured acid over her face and body.
She lost an ear and a breast in the attack and police charged the senior policewoman and six of her associates for attempted killing - although Chea Ratha fled the country and only two other suspects were arrested.
This week, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court acquitted all seven suspects, citing lack of evidence.
The survivor of the acid attack, Ya Soknim, had this to say about the verdict.
SOKNIM: The court decision on this case is so unjust because they said they don't have enough evidence. They completely lied to themselves because there is enough evidence, including Chea Ratha's phone threat, a threat to kill the whole family; me as a witness of the attack and one of the two arrested men confessed his crime. I think there is enough. I don't understand why the court pardoned these people. This decision hurts me so much. I'm so concerned about my safety that I couldn't sleep for several nights, I'm worried about the safety for all my extended family because I know Chea Ratha's a merciless person. She used to tell me that she's on her own; she doesn't have a family, children or husband, so she's so heartless. She also threatened on phone and face to face to cause bloodshed, to cause a sea of blood to my family. She said the sea of blood is far bigger than a river. After the verdict I feel so cold and I don't feel there's a safe place for me.
COCHRANE: Two of Cambodia's major human rights groups have jointly condemned the court's decision.
Naly Pilorge, the director of LICADHO, one of those human rights groups, says the case is another example of impunity for high-ranking offenders.
PILORGE: And this is just one more example of an individual with connections and with power and possibly money that can commit such a horrific crime with total impunity. There is so much evidence in this crime that this individual is responsible and yet the court has acquitted all charges against Chea Ratha. I mean we're extremely concerned about the safety of the victim and her family. It was already very difficult for them to come forward and to file a complaint against Chea Ratha, and for the court to blatantly acquit despite overwhelming evidence, I mean this security situation for the victim and the family is now very critical. So we also would like to urge the government to ensure that nothing more happens to this young woman and her family.
COCHRANE: The two rights groups called for the body which oversees the Cambodian courts, the Supreme Council of Magistracy, to investigate the way the case was handled.
Acid attacks like this continue in Cambodia, often as a destructive and very personal way to seek revenge.
The scarring of someone's face has particular meaning in a Cambodian context, where keeping 'face' is part of the culture.
The other problem, experts say, is the easy access to highly-concentrated acid.
Chhun Chenda Sophea is the program manager at the Cambodian Acid Attack Survivors Centre... where she lobbies for justice for survivors and for tighter laws to prevent accidents.
SOPHEA: In Cambodia acid is sold freely. Acid is everywhere because people use it for car batteries because people use it for around the rubber plantation, all the people have acid in their house, and because it's not been labeled, a lot of accident cases too. And we try to lobby for justice or in this case we're talking about justice, putting the perpetrator away for a long term and that will be putting a stop to people wanting to use this.
COCHRANE: The Cambodian Acid Attack Survivor Centre has dealt with more than 200 cases in the last three years, and say they see an average of one new attack each month.
Meanwhile Chea Ratha's lawyer has asked that his client be returned to her senior position in the police force now that she's been acquitted, although Chea Ratha remains in hiding.
Chea Ratha, the former deputy chief of staff of the National Military Police had a lesbian relationship with In Solyda, which soured early last year.
The TV celebrity went into hiding, fearing retribution for ending the relationship, and allegedly, there followed a string of threats against her family, with the senior policewoman promising to "spill blood" if In Solyda's aunt did not reveal the whereabouts of the former model.
In May last year, the aunt - Ya Soknim - was attacked by two men, who held her down and poured acid over her face and body.
She lost an ear and a breast in the attack and police charged the senior policewoman and six of her associates for attempted killing - although Chea Ratha fled the country and only two other suspects were arrested.
This week, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court acquitted all seven suspects, citing lack of evidence.
The survivor of the acid attack, Ya Soknim, had this to say about the verdict.
SOKNIM: The court decision on this case is so unjust because they said they don't have enough evidence. They completely lied to themselves because there is enough evidence, including Chea Ratha's phone threat, a threat to kill the whole family; me as a witness of the attack and one of the two arrested men confessed his crime. I think there is enough. I don't understand why the court pardoned these people. This decision hurts me so much. I'm so concerned about my safety that I couldn't sleep for several nights, I'm worried about the safety for all my extended family because I know Chea Ratha's a merciless person. She used to tell me that she's on her own; she doesn't have a family, children or husband, so she's so heartless. She also threatened on phone and face to face to cause bloodshed, to cause a sea of blood to my family. She said the sea of blood is far bigger than a river. After the verdict I feel so cold and I don't feel there's a safe place for me.
COCHRANE: Two of Cambodia's major human rights groups have jointly condemned the court's decision.
Naly Pilorge, the director of LICADHO, one of those human rights groups, says the case is another example of impunity for high-ranking offenders.
PILORGE: And this is just one more example of an individual with connections and with power and possibly money that can commit such a horrific crime with total impunity. There is so much evidence in this crime that this individual is responsible and yet the court has acquitted all charges against Chea Ratha. I mean we're extremely concerned about the safety of the victim and her family. It was already very difficult for them to come forward and to file a complaint against Chea Ratha, and for the court to blatantly acquit despite overwhelming evidence, I mean this security situation for the victim and the family is now very critical. So we also would like to urge the government to ensure that nothing more happens to this young woman and her family.
COCHRANE: The two rights groups called for the body which oversees the Cambodian courts, the Supreme Council of Magistracy, to investigate the way the case was handled.
Acid attacks like this continue in Cambodia, often as a destructive and very personal way to seek revenge.
The scarring of someone's face has particular meaning in a Cambodian context, where keeping 'face' is part of the culture.
The other problem, experts say, is the easy access to highly-concentrated acid.
Chhun Chenda Sophea is the program manager at the Cambodian Acid Attack Survivors Centre... where she lobbies for justice for survivors and for tighter laws to prevent accidents.
SOPHEA: In Cambodia acid is sold freely. Acid is everywhere because people use it for car batteries because people use it for around the rubber plantation, all the people have acid in their house, and because it's not been labeled, a lot of accident cases too. And we try to lobby for justice or in this case we're talking about justice, putting the perpetrator away for a long term and that will be putting a stop to people wanting to use this.
COCHRANE: The Cambodian Acid Attack Survivor Centre has dealt with more than 200 cases in the last three years, and say they see an average of one new attack each month.
Meanwhile Chea Ratha's lawyer has asked that his client be returned to her senior position in the police force now that she's been acquitted, although Chea Ratha remains in hiding.
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