A lawyer representing the government said…he will submit a lawsuit to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court…against opposition senator Thak Lany, who Prime Minister Hun Sen accused of defamation for claiming the government was complicit in the murder of prominent government critic Kem Ley.

In an interview with Fresh News…Mr. Hun Sen said he would start suing opposition senators for claiming the government was involved in Mr. Ley’s murder at a gas station café on July 10…

Many opposition members, including Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) president Sam Rainsy, have said the government was involved in the shooting death of Mr. Ley due to his outspoken nature and history of criticizing Mr. Hun Sen and the government.

Only days before his death, Mr. Ley participated in a public roundtable discussion where he spoke on a recent Global Witness report tying many of the country’s largest corporations to Mr. Hun Sen and his children…

“Now what is Hun Sen thinking? Suddenly, [he] shoots down Kem Ley, a political analyst who dares to talk openly about the corruption of Hun Sen and his family. The Global Witness report has documented all this and Ley just mentioned it,” [Ms. Lany] said in the video footage…

The circumstances of Mr. Ley’s death have given rise to deep concerns in view of his standing as a critic of the government and his regular comments in the media highlighting governance and human rights concerns.