Jailed political analyst Kim Sok appeared before the Supreme Court yesterday for a bail hearing, during which he accused prison officials of seizing his diary because it contained the name of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Sok faces two defamation and incitement cases filed by the premier following comments he made about the assassination of political analyst Kem Ley.

During the two-hour hearing, he said that “the talking” was his only crime, and the court had no reason to detain him other than to please Hun Sen.

“There are many alternatives to my detention. The court can ban me from meeting journalists, speaking on radio . . . I asked whether the court detained me just to satisfy the plaintiff,” he said, describing the decision to detain him as arbitrary. “The court just chose to detain me like this and it is very shameful.”

Defence counsel Choung Choungy said that Sok is just asking for equality and justice from the court because the plaintiff “has the power to control the whole country” whereas his client “is just an ordinary citizen”.

The court’s decision is expected on June 28.