Cambodia sentences 11 opposition figures involved in insurgency to prison.
AFP reported on July 21 that a group of 11 activists and members of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) were sentenced to prison for engaging in insurgent activities, with three receiving 20-year sentences and eight receiving 7-year sentences.
 Members of the CNRP have been arrested. (Source: cambodiadaily) |
These individuals were convicted of leading or participating in the uprising during the violent protests near Freedom Park in Phnom Penh on July 15, 2014, against the government's blockade of the city's main protest site, which left more than 40 people injured, mostly security personnel.
The verdict stated: “The court sentenced Meach Sovannara (Head of Information for the CNRP), along with Oeur Narith and Khin Chamroeun (both opposition party officials), to 20 years in prison for leading the uprising.”
All 11 individuals were also fined between $2,000 and $5,000 each.
Sam Sokong, the defense lawyer for the three CNRP members, told reporters: "This is an excessively harsh verdict. Lawyers like us cannot accept these sentences."
According to Vietnam+
