The wife of slain opposition party activist Po Hin Lean said she filed an appeal to overturn the Provincial Court’s verdict in her husband’s murder case.
Wen Kimyi told RFA on Nov. 8 that the verdict did not “serve justice” for her husband, a supporter of the Candlelight Party who was shot dead in Tbong Khmum province last October.
She accepted US$12,000 in compensation from a Cambodian court shortly after the murder, but refused to drop the charges against her husband’s killer.
On Sep. 27, the Provincial Court found police officer Chea Bunnarith guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Po Hin Lean’s death and sentenced him to one year in prison. The court later suspended his sentence and ordered him to pay 40 million riels (about $10,000) to the victim’s family.
Ven Vet, also known as Ven Savet, was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter, but ultimately only served one year of an 18-month sentence.
Wen Kimyi has since appealed the verdict and demanded the court bring down a harsher sentence on both men.
“This murder conviction verdict is the same as the conviction of a thief who steals chickens,” she told RFA. “I demanded the court sentence them to 15 years in jail.”
Ou Reang Ov district police officer Roth Svay declined to comment on the verdict, telling RFA that he does not know many details about the case, but that the district police have already forwarded all of their information to the provincial court.
Tbong Khmum Adhoc Provincial Coordinator Leng Sengheang told RFA that he believes the murder was not an accident, pointing to the fact that Po Hin Lean was shot twice. He claims that the court failed to provide the victim and his family with adequate justice.
"If it was involuntary manslaughter, the court should have at least convicted them to two years in jail," he said.
Po Hin Lean’s killing was part of a series of attacks targeting opposition activists across Cambodia, especially those linked to the Candlelight Party.
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party has had a firm grip on Cambodia’s government since 1997. Around the time of Po Hin Lean’s murder, several opposition candidates and activists reported being harassed and targeted in the run-up to communal elections.
Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Claire McCrea and Malcolm Foster.