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Cambodian to appeal jail sentence for Facebook comment | Cambodian to appeal jail sentence for Facebook comment |
(35 minutes later) | |
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian student plans to appeal the 18-month jail sentence he received for making a reference on his Facebook page to a “color revolution” in the country, his lawyer said Wednesday, a punishment a human rights group described as “beyond outrageous.” | |
Kong Raiya, a student at Khemarak University in Phnom Penh, was sentenced by the Phnom Penh municipal court on Tuesday on charges of incitement to commit a felony. | Kong Raiya, a student at Khemarak University in Phnom Penh, was sentenced by the Phnom Penh municipal court on Tuesday on charges of incitement to commit a felony. |
He was arrested for posting a comment on Facebook in which he asked if anyone would “dare to make a color revolution with me?” The term refers to peaceful anti-government protests and movements in recent years, including in countries from the former Soviet bloc. | He was arrested for posting a comment on Facebook in which he asked if anyone would “dare to make a color revolution with me?” The term refers to peaceful anti-government protests and movements in recent years, including in countries from the former Soviet bloc. |
Defense lawyer Sam Sokong said he was preparing documents to submit an appeal next week. | |
“Marching someone off to prison for 18 months for a Facebook post is beyond outrageous,” Phil Robertson of New York-based Human Rights Watch said in an emailed statement. “Clearly the Cambodian government wants to convey the lesson of a Big Brother police state that we’re watching you at all times, and unless you stay quiet, we can and will pull you away.” | |
Incitement to commit a felony is punishable by a prison term ranging from six months to two years. Kong Raiya has already served seven months in jail since his arrest on Aug. 21, a month after Prime Minister Hun Sen called on the military to eradicate any group or people who want to topple his government through a “color revolution.” | |
Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy expressed regret that the student was jailed for exercising his right to freedom of expression. | Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy expressed regret that the student was jailed for exercising his right to freedom of expression. |
“Kong Raiya was unjustly sentenced today to 18 months in prison only for suggesting a ‘color revolution’ meaning a democratic and peaceful change for Cambodia,” Sam Rainsy said on his Facebook page Tuesday. | “Kong Raiya was unjustly sentenced today to 18 months in prison only for suggesting a ‘color revolution’ meaning a democratic and peaceful change for Cambodia,” Sam Rainsy said on his Facebook page Tuesday. |
“Kong Raiya’s prosecution is actually a message of threat and intimidation from ruling Cambodian People’s Party to the millions of Cambodian youths who share his ideas,” he said. | |
Opposition groups and activists have criticized Hun Sen, one of the longest-serving leaders in the world, for using government machinery to suppress dissent. | |
“The courts in Cambodia are just like that,” Kong Raiya said before being taken away in a prison van after his sentencing. “They are unjust not only to me, but for all Cambodians.” | |
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This story has been corrected to show that Kong Raiya has served seven months in jail instead of eight. | |
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |