The Phnom Penh Post
February 25, 2013
Amnesty International on Thursday issued a call to action, urging
people to appeal to Prime Minister Hun Sen and other high-ranking
government officials for the release of jailed radio station owner Mam
Sonando ahead of his retrial next month.
Mr. Sonando, 71, was imprisoned for 20 years on October 1 for his
alleged involvement in an insurrectionist movement in Kratie province.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court verdict was met with widespread
condemnation, including from Washington, and Mr. Sonando’s appeal date
has been set for March 5.
In the “urgent action,” as Amnesty International called it, people
are asked to write to Mr. Hun Sen, Interior Minister Sar Kheng and
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, “Demanding the immediate and
unconditional release of Mam Sonando, who is a prisoner of conscience,
and that his conviction is overturned.”
The “prisoner of conscience” appeal also urges participants to call
on the authorities to “protect, respect and promote the right to freedom
of expression in Cambodia.”
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan dismissed the Amnesty
appeal, reiterating a long-held position that Cambodia is a sovereign
state and, as a result, would not bow to international pressure.
“They should leave Cambodia by itself; don’t urge Cambodia to do what it’s supposed to do,” Mr. Siphan said.
“It’s Cambodian sovereignty and an internal issue…. It belongs to the affairs of the court,” he added.
Another well known Amnesty International prisoner of conscience was
Burma’s pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who was awarded the status
from 1989 to 1995, from 2000 to 2002, and from 2003 to 2010 while
imprisoned under house arrest in Rangoon by the military junta.
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