Mu Sochua vs. Hun Sen.By Khmerization
Source: RFA
Outspoken opposition MP Mu Sochua, who is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has on 10th June sent a petition to U.S President Barack Obama asking him to condemn the Cambodian court which have been used by leaders of the ruling party to stifle freedom of expression in Cambodia, reports Radio Free Asia.
Mu Sochua's petititon to Presiden Obama followed a Supreme Court's decision on 2nd June which upheld a lower court verdict which found her guilty of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen, a decision criticised by observers and human rights group as politically motivated designed to crack down on opposition politicians.
The petition reminds President Obama that the U.S has provided $60 million in aid to Cambodia to help in judicial reforms and the democratic process as well as good governance, so the United states has a moral obligation and responsibility to object to such a politically-motivated verdict. The petition also reminds President Obama that by failing to speak out against the court's rulings, the United States would undermine its long-cherished values of freedoms of speech and expression and the rights to an independent and impartial judicial process, equality before the law, and legal representation.
As of Friday the 11th June, 337 people had signed an online petititon asking President Obama to make a strong statement and condemn the Hun Sen government.
Mr. Ky Tek, Mr. Hun Sen's lawyer, is pushing really hard for the court to implemet its verdict by forcing Mu Sochua to pay the fine or jail her if she refused to comply with the court order. Mrs. Mu Sochua said that she'd rather go to jail than pay the fine for a crime she didn't commit.
Mu Sochua's petititon to Presiden Obama followed a Supreme Court's decision on 2nd June which upheld a lower court verdict which found her guilty of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen, a decision criticised by observers and human rights group as politically motivated designed to crack down on opposition politicians.
The petition reminds President Obama that the U.S has provided $60 million in aid to Cambodia to help in judicial reforms and the democratic process as well as good governance, so the United states has a moral obligation and responsibility to object to such a politically-motivated verdict. The petition also reminds President Obama that by failing to speak out against the court's rulings, the United States would undermine its long-cherished values of freedoms of speech and expression and the rights to an independent and impartial judicial process, equality before the law, and legal representation.
As of Friday the 11th June, 337 people had signed an online petititon asking President Obama to make a strong statement and condemn the Hun Sen government.
Mr. Ky Tek, Mr. Hun Sen's lawyer, is pushing really hard for the court to implemet its verdict by forcing Mu Sochua to pay the fine or jail her if she refused to comply with the court order. Mrs. Mu Sochua said that she'd rather go to jail than pay the fine for a crime she didn't commit.
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