The phnom Penh Municipal Court has begun investigating a lawsuit filed last Friday by Khmer Rouge victims against opposition leader Kem Sokha on charges of defamation.

Kouy Thunna, the lawyer for the group of four S-21 prison survivors that includes victims association head Chum Mey, said that court prosecutor Meas Chan Piseth had summoned his four clients to defend their complaint on June 24.

Thunna said two clients will speak in the morning, and the other two in the afternoon.

“It is court procedure that the plaintiffs have to bring more information and evidence to the court to defend their complaint,” he said.

The lawsuit was filed against Kem Sokha, acting president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), over comments he allegedly made claiming the notorious detention center was a Vietnamese fabrication.

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said yesterday that Sokha was not worried about the complaint as the party believed it to be a political ploy.