Cambodian court clears Japanese photographer of porn charge

A Cambodian court on Tuesday acquitted a Japanese photographer who had been jailed on charges of producing pornography after taking pictures of a married couple for a photo festival.

By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 12/7/2010

Cambodian court clears Japanese photographer of porn charge

Go Takayama walked free from prison a few hours after the verdict was read out, said Jessica Lim, one of the organisers of the Angkor Photo Festival, who attended the court hearing in the northwestern tourist hub of Siem Reap.
The married Cambodian couple, arrested alongside the 28-year-old photographer after the November 23 photo shoot, were also released, she added.
“ We are extremely happy with the complete acquittal,” Lim told AFP.
Organisers of the festival have strongly denied the 78 images of the couple hugging and touching were pornographic, and several international journalism and photography groups have spoken out in support of Takayama in recent days.
“ There is absolutely no nudity in any of the photographs, no genitals or anything like that” , said Lim. “ His camera and the confiscated pictures will be returned to him.”
“ The court gave us justice today,” said Takayama’s lawyer Sourng Sophea in a statement.
The images were taken as part of a workshop assignment at the annual photography festival and were meant to show “ strong, possessive love” , Lim said.
The workshops for emerging Asian photographers are a key part of the prestigious week-long event in Siem Reap.

Dec 7, 2010,
Asia-Pacific News

Phnom Penh – A court on Tuesday dismissed pornography charges against a Japanese photojournalist and the couple he had photographed on an assignment in the tourist city of Siem Reap.
Go Takayama, 28, a participant in a workshop at the Angkor Photo Festival, was arrested in late November and charged last week.
The court prosecutor told local media that Takayama had been charged with pornography after police accused him of taking dozens of images of sex workers at a brothel.
Jessica Lim, who helped coordinate the festival, said the police allegations were untrue and stressed that the married Cambodian couple in his images had consented to be photographed and there was no nudity in his photos.
Lim said festival organizers welcomed Takayama’s acquittal.
‘We have always known Go Takayama was innocent, and so we are very relieved at the court’s decision,’ she said.
Lim said Takayama and the couple had been taken back to prison from court while their release paperwork was processed and would be freed Wednesday.
His plight drew criticism from media organizations inside and outside Cambodia.
The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia on Monday released a statement expressing its concern at the arrests, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, a US-based organization that promotes press freedom, said the government should drop the charges against him.
Takayama had faced up to one year in prison if found guilty.
The photographs were taken as part of his involvement in a workshop at the week-long festival, which closed November 27.