Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Boeung Kak activists appeal convictions

Boeung Kak activists appeal convictions

Jailed Boeung Kak activist Tep Vanny smiles for the press as she leaves the Supreme Court on Friday.
Jailed Boeung Kak activist Tep Vanny smiles for the press as she leaves the Supreme Court on Friday. Heng Chivoan

Boeung Kak activists appeal convictions

Prominent Boeung Kak community member Tep Vanny and two other jailed activists appealed their six-month convictions for allegedly insulting and obstructing public officials during a 2011 protest, and asked for all charges to be dropped before the Supreme Court on Friday.

Four were sentenced by Phnom Penh Municipal Court last September. One of the activists, Heng Mom, was not present in the courtroom yesterday.

In the courtroom, Vanny, Bo Chhorvy and Kong Chantha again denied accusations that they had instigated violence against the Daun Penh district security forces during a protest at City Hall against forced evictions at Boeung Kak.

“We just filed a petition to [the] Municipal Hall regarding the Boeun Kak land dispute,” Vanny said. “We followed the law and it is unfair on us.”

Prosecutor Chan Dararaksmey asked the court to reject the appeal, citing “clear evidence” of guilt.

He added that the 30 to 40 protesters had screamed, caused a traffic jam and assaulted security forces – causing bleeding from scratches and using both high heels and stones as weapons. Witnesses and the accused have repeatedly denied the official account.

Vanny was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in February on separate charges related to a 2013 protest and is currently behind bars. The three co-accused are currently out on bail, pending appeals. The Supreme Court’s verdict is expected on December 8.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to