Exiled Cambodian Leader Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail
Exiled Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy who has been convicted by a court for falsifying documents related to a contentious border dispute with Vietnam.Robert Carmichael, VOA
Phnom Penh 23 September 2010
The leader of Cambodia's main opposition party, Sam Rainsy, was sentenced to prison in a dispute about the border with neighboring Vietnam. But his supporters claim the case is politically motivated.
The municipal court in Phnom Penh on Thursday handed down a 10-year prison sentence to Rainsy because he displayed a map that had a different border between Cambodia and Vietnam than the one the government uses. During his trial earlier this month, the government's lawyer told the court that Sam Rainsy's action amounted to disinformation and falsifying of public documents.
The judges agreed, and handed down the prison term and a $16,000 fine. They also issued an arrest warrant for Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile in France.
The opposition leader had no chance for a fair trial, says his party's spokesman Yim Sovann, because the courts answer to the ruling party.
The municipal court in Phnom Penh on Thursday handed down a 10-year prison sentence to Rainsy because he displayed a map that had a different border between Cambodia and Vietnam than the one the government uses. During his trial earlier this month, the government's lawyer told the court that Sam Rainsy's action amounted to disinformation and falsifying of public documents.
The judges agreed, and handed down the prison term and a $16,000 fine. They also issued an arrest warrant for Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile in France.
The opposition leader had no chance for a fair trial, says his party's spokesman Yim Sovann, because the courts answer to the ruling party.
