On
Sunday morning, July 15, 2012, independent Beehive Radio station owner and
director Mam Sonando
was arrested at his radio station. Mr. Sonando holds both Cambodian and French citizenship,
and is 70 years old. He is also the founder and president of the Association of
Democrats, a registered NGO that aims to promote human rights and democracy in
Cambodia particularly through securing Cambodian ID cards to facilitate
increased ease in voting. After spending a night in police custody, Mr. Sonando
was brought before Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sem Sakola for questioning.
By about noon on July 16, Sonando was charged under six articles of Cambodia’s
Penal Code. He stands accused of crimes ranging from leading an insurrectionary
movement and incitement to take up arms against the state, to obstruction of public
officials. If convicted on all counts, he faces seven to thirty years in
prison.
The
government claims that the charges against Mr. Sonando are related to an alleged
secession attempt by villagers in Kratie province. Those accused of attempted
secession have been involved in an ongoing and escalating land dispute with a
well-connected private company in Chhlong district’s Kampong Domrey commune. On
May 16, 2012, while Sonando was out of the country, hundreds of soldiers, military
police and local police stormed the disputed land with the aid of a helicopter.
Hundreds of families were kicked off the land. During the operation, a
14-year-old girl was killed. Authorities blocked access to the site by
journalists, NGOs and the United Nations on the day of the eviction and, with
the exception of a chaperoned visit by some UN officials, the lock down
continued for several days afterwards.
Many
have criticized the “secession movement” justification for the involvement of
soldiers on May 16th. None of the armed forces were injured, and there has
still been no evidence presented that the residents of the area had armed
themselves against the authorities. Nor is there any evidence that the
residents had the intent, the plans, or the means to attempt to secede from
Cambodia. And aside from the fact that some residents had previously joined the
Association of Democrats, there is no indication that any statements by the NGO
or reports broadcast on Beehive Radio mentioned attempted secession efforts in
Cambodia. International and Cambodian NGOs and journalist associations have
since stated that the charges against Sonando are more likely linked to Beehive
Radio’s long history of independent and critical reporting.
Please read the whole analysis of Man Sonando case made by LICADHO.
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