"Union Leader Morm Rithy Pleads For Charges To Be Dropped", 28 November 2024

Phnom Penh Municipal Court … heard the case of union leader Morm Rithy after he expressed disappointment that the court had earlier convened his case in absentia and sentenced him to 18 months in prison.

His charges are in relation to the comments he made, criticizing the arrest of a casino worker during a live broadcast on Facebook ... He urged the court to drop the charges and declare him innocent.

During the hearing …, Rithy, who is the president of Cambodian Tourism and Service Workers’ Federation (CTSWF) and vice president of Cambodian Labor Confederation (CLC), appealed to the court to release him as he had no intention to look down or discredit the court system in Cambodia.

… Earlier, judge Thon Darith highlighted the comments Rithy made in the … Facebook livestream, noting that they seemed to urge the “public to lose faith in the judicial system” and which “affected the credibility of the judiciary”.

… Rithy said the sharing of opinion, which was during the Covid-19 pandemic, was his right. He expressed his opinion so that the authorities would be aware of the issue of women being unfairly accused.

However, the prosecutor reminded Rithy that while expression of opinion was a right, “if the speech hurts others, it is illegal”.

… Ath Thorn, founder and former president of the Cambodian Confederation of Labor (CLC), expressed regret at the prosecutor’s decision to continue to press charges against Rithy, even though Rithy had stated his intentions and explained the facts during the trial. Thorn opined that Rithy did not intend to insult the judiciary, and the accusations against Rithy are not based on sufficient evidence…