Pardons floated for jailed officials

Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday he would seek pardons for convicted opposition members, but refrained from negotiating to have a ban from politics lifted against more than 100 former members of the opposition CNRP. Speaking yesterday during a building inauguration at Chhouk Var pagoda in Phnom Penh, Mr Hun Sen said he would seek pardons for former opposition CNRP members and activists who have been convicted of crimes.

“The law gives the right to grant pardons to prisoners but it does not allow pardons for those who have been banned from politics,” he said. “So if you want to be pardoned, you must serve [some] of the prison sentence first.” In July 2015, Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted 11 CNRP opposition members and activists, including Meach Sovannara, former director of the CNRP’s information department.

They were sentenced to prison terms of up to 20 years over insurrection charges after being arrested in the wake of July 2014 protests at Freedom Park, which culminated in violent clashes between protesters and security officials. Last month, the Supreme Court upheld a 30-month prison sentence against former opposition lawmaker Um Sam An for incitement over Facebook posts he made criticising the government’s demarcation of the border with Vietnam.

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