The Appeal Court held a bail hearing Tuesday for a pair of defrocked monks charged with participating in a criminal association, following their arrest last month while carrying bags filled with flags to a planned protest march.
Police arrested Sang Kosal, 19, and Khit Vannak, 26, on November 12 as they approached the proposed starting point of the march, claiming the flags posed a danger because they were attached to wooden polls.
The pair stands charged with participating in a criminal association, though authorities have refused to identify the alleged association.
The former monks professed their innocence upon leaving the closed-door hearing Tuesday, and their lawyer, Sam Sokunthea, said she had urged the court to grant them bail.
“They are just honest former monks who were studying hard, and they did nothing wrong,” she said.
Both Ms. Sokunthea and prosecutor Tith Sothy said the court would announce its decision on January 9. During the hearing, about 100 people, including some 20 monks, protested in front of the court demanding the pair’s release.
