Deadly Collision Claims 67 Lives in U.S. Air Disaster | At Least 30 Dead and Many Injured in Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela in India | Chinese President Xi Jinping Affirms Cambodia's Role as a Key Partner in China’s Diplomatic Strategy | Xi Jinping Concludes State Visit to Cambodia, Strengthening Bilateral Ties | Chinese President Xi Jinping Concludes Successful State Visit to Cambodia | Chinese Ambassador: US-China Trade Tensions Harm Developing Nations; President Xi Urges Investment in Cambodia and Expanded Market Access | Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships Bungo and Etazima Dock at Ream Sea Base for Four-Day Visit | Prime Minister Hun Manet Expresses Displeasure Over Criticism of Chinese Investments During Kampot International Tourist Port Inauguration | Asian Development Bank Collaborates with Cambodia on New Development Projects Worth Over $1 Billion |
Deadly Collision Claims 67 Lives in U.S. Air Disaster | At Least 30 Dead and Many Injured in Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela in India | Chinese President Xi Jinping Affirms Cambodia's Role as a Key Partner in China’s Diplomatic Strategy | Xi Jinping Concludes State Visit to Cambodia, Strengthening Bilateral Ties | Chinese President Xi Jinping Concludes Successful State Visit to Cambodia | Chinese Ambassador: US-China Trade Tensions Harm Developing Nations; President Xi Urges Investment in Cambodia and Expanded Market Access | Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Ships Bungo and Etazima Dock at Ream Sea Base for Four-Day Visit | Prime Minister Hun Manet Expresses Displeasure Over Criticism of Chinese Investments During Kampot International Tourist Port Inauguration | Asian Development Bank Collaborates with Cambodia on New Development Projects Worth Over $1 Billion |

Cambodia Rejects US Criticism of Union Leader’s Jailing

  • Posted Dec 2, 0002 00:00 by Rhea Soco
  • 1245
  Aa |   aA

Phnom Penh: Cambodia has rejected criticism from the US Embassy over the jailing of union leader, Rong Chhun. He was sentenced to two years in prison this week for incitement, over comments he made about Cambodia’s handling of a border dispute with Vietnam.

US Ambassador W. Patrick Murphy tweeted on Wednesday that Chhun’s conviction raised serious questions about freedom of speech in the kingdom, but Ministry of Justice spokesperson, Chin Malin, says court procedure is not a suppression of freedom of expression. He says any party wanting to help Chhun should have participated in court proceedings and given testimony.

He was responding to Ambassador Murphy’s tweet that Rong Chhun’s jailing raised “serious questions about freedom of speech” that is protected in Cambodia’s constitution and is “essential to the functioning of a democracy”. The US Ambassador went onto say that the judicial system should not be abused to silence peaceful activists, but the Ministry of Justice says Chhun's case was not an exercise in freedom of speech and that the authorities had a strong legal basis for judicial proceedings and convictions. Chin Malin added that legal means promote democratic processes in a society committed to the rule of law.

Related News