Police blocked Mu Sochua (in red) and her supporters from marching after the court verdict.PHNOM PENH (AFP)— An outspoken opposition lawmaker in Cambodia on Wednesday said she was ready to go to jail after the country's highest court upheld her conviction for defaming the powerful prime minister.
Mu Sochua of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party was convicted last year for defaming Hun Sen during an April news conference, in which she announced plans to sue the premier for allegedly insulting her.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction against the former minister of women's affairs, for which she has been ordered to pay more than 4,000 dollars in fines and compensation to Hun Sen or face going to jail.
"I have been found guilty of a crime that I have not committed at all. This is not justice," Mu Sochua told reporters.
"This is justice for sale and this is justice for the powerful people only," she added, calling the ruling a "travesty".
Mu Sochua said she was ready to go to jail rather than pay the fine, before she and several dozen opposition supporters tried to march to a building where the government was meeting with international donors.
They were prevented from doing so by armed riot police.
Mu Sochua said donors must hold the government accountable, which "means justice, means equality, means a fair trial... and human rights that must be upheld in order for Cambodia to move forward".
The Cambodian administration has been heavily criticised by rights groups over the past year for launching a spate of defamation and disinformation lawsuits against critics and opposition members.
New York-based Human Rights Watch recently accused Hun Sen's government of aiming to silence political opposition and critics with a "campaign of harassment, threats, and unwarranted legal action."
Mu Sochua of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party was convicted last year for defaming Hun Sen during an April news conference, in which she announced plans to sue the premier for allegedly insulting her.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction against the former minister of women's affairs, for which she has been ordered to pay more than 4,000 dollars in fines and compensation to Hun Sen or face going to jail.
"I have been found guilty of a crime that I have not committed at all. This is not justice," Mu Sochua told reporters.
"This is justice for sale and this is justice for the powerful people only," she added, calling the ruling a "travesty".
Mu Sochua said she was ready to go to jail rather than pay the fine, before she and several dozen opposition supporters tried to march to a building where the government was meeting with international donors.
They were prevented from doing so by armed riot police.
Mu Sochua said donors must hold the government accountable, which "means justice, means equality, means a fair trial... and human rights that must be upheld in order for Cambodia to move forward".
The Cambodian administration has been heavily criticised by rights groups over the past year for launching a spate of defamation and disinformation lawsuits against critics and opposition members.
New York-based Human Rights Watch recently accused Hun Sen's government of aiming to silence political opposition and critics with a "campaign of harassment, threats, and unwarranted legal action."
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