More evidence given in military’s Rainsy lawsuit
A LAWYER for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces submitted more evidence against former opposition leader Sam Rainsy for allegedly undermining the military, while Rainsy doubled down on his comments, once again urging disobedience.
“We just clarified our complaint and submitted more evidence. Only after the prosecutor summons Sam Rainsy for questioning can I say what the evidence is,” said lawyer Vong Pheakdey.
The suit was filed after Hun Sen and top military brass accused Rainsy of “treason” following a Facebook post in which he urged soldiers not to obey orders to shoot protesters. A subsequent lawsuit filed by the military accused Rainsy of “incitement”.
Though the suit did not refer to a specific article, Article 471 covers “inciting military personnel to be disobedient”, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 10 million riel (about $2,500).
Rainsy doubled down on the offending comments yesterday in another Facebook post.
“[The Cambodian people] must stand up to push for a democratic change and get rid of an anachronistic dictator . . . I again appeal to the armed forces to stand by the people and to refrain from shooting and killing innocent citizens who peacefully demand freedom and justice,” he wrote.
Pheakdey, meanwhile, said he had requested the prosecutor to take “immediate action”.