THE RELEASE OF MAM SONANDO SHOWS THAT
HUN SEN IS RESPONSIVE TO FOREIGN PRESSURE
The decision by a Cambodian appeals court
to drop a 20-year prison sentence against Mam Sonando, the owner of one of Cambodia's few
independent radio stations, says more about the country's electoral cycle than
the state of press freedom.
Sonando had been bizarrely convicted of
leading a secessionist movement in Kratie province, where he supported the
claims of villagers who had been protesting against evictions to make way for a
rubber plantation. A 14-year old girl was shot dead as the land was cleared.
Sonando's imprisonment has served its purpose in distracting attention from her
death.
The appeals judge said he could find no
evidence of a secession plot. There is no reason he should have been able to:
there was no evidence in the first place. The imprisonment and the release were
both political events. As general elections set for July 28 approach, the
government calculates that it can't let a high-profile media owner remain in
prison.
However, there is no reason to think that Cambodia under
Hun Sen would get through the next electoral cycle without the arbitrary
imprisonment of journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders, Cambodia
ranks 143rd in the world in terms of press freedom, behind Zimbabwe,
Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.* All of the country’s television stations are
linked with the ruling Cambodia People's Party, as are almost all the radio
stations. The English language press exists for foreign consumption: no Khmer
language journalist would be able to get away with the same critical tone. Anything
that the government disagrees with can be termed falsification of information
and dealt with as a criminal offense.
The UN Special Rapporteur for Human
Rights Surya Subedi said in December 2012 that Cambodia had made insufficient
progress on freedom of expression. The Mam Sonando case at least shows that Hun
Sen is responsive to foreign pressure. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault
raised the case with him when he came to Cambodia for the funeral of King
Sihanouk. Much more international pressure on press freedom is needed before
any Cambodian election can be considered fair.
Sam Rainsy
*Reporters Without Borders 2013 World Press
Freedom Index Can Be Found Here:
3 comments:
Sam rainsy should have join mam sanondo and could have been imprision and release the same time from foreigns pressure. Could the same be true for sam rainsy when it comes to foreign pressure on hun sen if sam rainsy was impresion, or is there too much at stake for the CNRP? Sam rainsy have been lobbying so many countries close to cambodia and europe, what can those countries do to help him with hun sen's justice system in cambodia?
I really think that sam rainsy should take a chance of a life time and see if the world is only watching or do the really care about democracy system in cambodia?
Give it a shot mr. Sam rainsy, this might be your last chance to rescue cambodia. Cambodia needs you and it a chance to put the world to a test, see who are friends and who wre foes to cambodia.
Don't think, that Hun Sen or we all accepted the foreigner pressure.
It sounds someone, who has sent this post has personal problem with Mr. Hun Sen.
yes, hun sen felt the pressure by the international communities now. to make people believe that this coming election is fair and just, hun sen must make other foreign countries belive in his government. i think it is too late for hun sen to lie and hide about his oppression on freedom of speech in Cambodia. What goes up will come down and same goes for hun sen's government for people have been suffering so much under hun sen's government.
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