California resident held political prisoner in Cambodia is released
This situation isn’t as unusual as you may think. In biblical times, when a woman lost her husband, it was expected that his brother would marry her. If your late wife’s sister is single, tell her how you feel. You have known her long enough that those feelings may or may not be mutual – but no law says you can’t find out. Jamie Meach, right, with her family, holds a portrait that includes her husband, Meach Sovannara.
LOS ANGELES – A California man who had been jailed in Cambodia for years after what many considered a sham court proceeding has been released from a notorious foreign prison.
Meach Sovannara of Long Beach, a former spokesman for the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party who had been jailed for speaking at a 2014 political protest in the nation’s capital, was released early Tuesday morning in Phnom Penh, according to Bo K.S. Uce, a political activist in Long Beach and family friend.
In July 2015, Sovannara and 10 others were convicted of various crimes connected to the protests after what human rights activists have called a “show trial.” Sovannara’s attorneys were not allowed to make closing arguments, and justices deliberated for 15 minutes before returning with a conviction, according to Amnesty International.
Although no evidence was presented at trial, Sovannara was sentenced to 20 years in Prey Sar prison, a hellish, overcrowded complex where family and friends feared he could be killed at any moment.
Sovannara’s wife and three daughters still live in Long Beach and have long campaigned for his release. However, it was not clear when, or if, Sovannara would return to the U.S., according to Uce. Cambodia has been ruled for decades by a prime minister that rights activists have long labeled as a brutal dictator.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sovannara was one of 14 people jailed in connection with the 2014 protests who were released about 1 a.m. Tuesday in Phnom Penh, according to an ABC News report.
The releases are part of a larger wave of pardons enacted by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in recent weeks. Hun Sen dissolved the Cambodian National Rescue Party in the lead-up to controversial elections. The prime minister’s Cambodian People’s Party claimed victory for all possible seats in the National Assembly. Human rights observers have dismissed the election as rigged.
Experts said Hun Sen has released people such as Sovannara in the hopes of gaining relief from foreign sanctions, but also dismissed the move as hollow after Hun Sen effectively eliminated his opposition.