Prey Sar’s Grip on Opposition Tightens

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Khmer Times/Taing Vida

Opposition party member Um Sam An, who is under investigation on charges of allegedly faking documents to accuse the government of ceding land to Vietnam, is now being held in solitary custody, unable to meet or talk with other detainees, according to senior Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) official Son Chhay. Speaking to reporters after a visit to Prey Sar prison yesterday, Mr. Chhay said that while Mr. Sam An, who has yet to be found guilty of any offense and is being held in Prey Sar awaiting trial, now has no health problems, he was being treated different from other detainees. In addition to being not allowed to speak to other detainees, Mr. Sam An is followed by a prison detail at all times.

“This is an irregularity, the way Sam An is treated. He is the first and only lawmaker in Cambodia to be detained despite his parliamentary immunity. I think the assembly must look into this and give an explanation,” Mr. Chhay said, referring to the judicial immunity granted to all Cambodian lawmakers regardless of party affiliation. Nuth Savna, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry’s General Department of Prisons, said the measures were in the interest of Mr. Sam An’s safety.

“There are more than 4,000 detainees in Prey Sar prison and the number of guards we have is limited. We are doing this just to protect him. That is not a restriction on his freedom. What if someone mistreated him or he had a problem? We would have trouble and that would lead to allegations of political harm or something,” Mr. Savna said. On Friday last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said during a cabinet meeting that the arrest of Mr. Sam An was legal, as he incited conflict between the Kingdom and a neighboring country and therefore ceded his right to immunity.

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