CAMBODIA Politician opposed to Hun Sen sentenced to two years in prison

Ouk Savarin had stood as a candidate in the June 5 municipal elections in Pursat province. He was arrested, accused of falsifying documents. His family denounced the conditions of his detention. In the same province, two other members of the Candlelight Party were arrested for political reasons.

Phnom Penh ( / Agencies) – A Cambodian court sentenced an opposition politician to two years in prison. The man had presented himself as a candidate in the municipal elections on June 5 and was accused of falsifying documents.

Ouk Savarin was running for the Candlelight party for a seat on the Ansa Chambok town council in western Pursat province. He was arrested on March 10 and the provincial court handed down the sentence last week.

“Since he joined the Candlelight Party, my father has suffered enormous pressure and persecution,” his son, Ouk Sao Sopheara, told Radio Free Asia (RFA). His father is locked in an overcrowded cell and does not receive enough food. Today the family, who believes that the charges are unfounded, will discuss with a lawyer to appeal the sentence.

Several human rights activists who have followed the case explained that the Cambodian authorities presented weak evidence and did not follow normal procedures, preventing the accused from exercising their political rights. Chak Chetra of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights says that “the activities of the political opposition seem to be restricted in the pre-election period and it seems to be more of a political issue than a legal one.”

Ouk Savarin is the third local Pursat Candlelight Party candidate to be arrested since March: Sre Stok Township candidate Chhuon Chhoeung and Sya Township Council candidate Hem Chhil were also arrested.

Hem Chhil was arrested for illegally pumping water from a pond. His 15-year-old son was also arrested for illegal fishing and released on May 4, while Hem was released on bail by the Battambang Provincial Court of Appeal on July 21. “I am clear that it is a political issue, because I am not to blame,” he told the RFA. “I was pumping water from the pond and others were doing the same, so why was I only arrested and jailed? I’m still a Candlelight Party member, I’m still helping people and I hope one day we’ll win,” he said.

In the elections on June 5, the Candlelight Party won around 20% of the seats in the local municipalities. For its part, the Cambodian People’s Party, a faction to which Prime Minister Hun Sen belongs and which has governed the country repressing the opposition for almost 40 years, obtained an overwhelming majority.