NGO exec fined, gets jail term, over published criticism of Angkor Wat lighting project

16 July 2009

The Phnom Penh municipal court sentenced on 14 July 2009 the chairman of the Khmer Civilization Foundation to two years' imprisonment and fined him a total of 15 million riels (US$3,750) for disinformation, online media sources said.

KI-Media said Moeung Son was charged on 26 May 2009 after he criticized in a press conference the on-going lighting project in Angkor Wat. He said that the company undertaking the project, Su Ching, is drilling the walls in the ancient temple in order to install the lights. He added that these lights, with the heat they emit, will damage the walls.

The government agency in charge of the temple rebutted Moeung Son's claims. The latter continued to issue statements to the media, however, about his opposition to the project.

Moeung Son's lawyer, Sar Sok Kong, asked the court to delay the proceedings, claiming that his client had yet to find sufficient proof and witnesses. The prosecutor, however, barred this, saying the court can continue. The four-hour hearing ended with the judge handing down the verdict.
Disinformation is a criminal offense covered by Article 62 in the 1992 UNTAC (UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia) law.
Moeung Son has since fled to France.

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) condemned the court decision. "That the head of an organization whose mandate is the promotion and protection of Khmer Culture cannot raise concerns in relation to the most emblematic symbol of Cambodian culture is more proof of the steady decline in freedom of expression in Cambodia in recent weeks," Ou Virak, CCHR president, said in a statement.

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) also questioned the court proceedings. "Grave concerns raised as to the fairness of the proceedings against Mr. Moeung, the unwillingness of the Municipal Court to consider documents presented by the defence and the lack of evidence in support of the conviction raise serious concerns in relation to the independence of the judiciary and its role in the recent crackdown on freedom of expression" says Naly Pilorge, Director of LICADHO.