Doctors at the Preah Ket Melea military hospital are not equipped to treat the medical concerns of jailed opposition lawmaker Cheam Channy, senior opposition party member Mu Sochua said Wednesday.
Mu Sochua said she has visited Cheam Channy every other Saturday, alternating weeks with his family members. She pointed to a May 24 report from the rights group Licadho that found 12 health issues Cheam Channy has that require examination by an outside doctor.
“Physically, you look at him, he’s OK, [but] there is great concern about his heart,” Mu Sochua said. “He needs an X-ray.”
“We do not trust the doctors that are provided to him at the prison,” she added. “[The prison] is not equipped.”
Licadho has filed a request with the courts asking that Cheam Channy be examined at a hospital. Military Court Investigating Judge Pok Porn said Tuesday that doctors at the military hospital would have to examine him further before any decision about outside treatment can be made.
Cheam Channy was arrested Feb 3 on allegations that he established a so-called illegal armed force. The arrest came after he and two other opposition lawmakers, Chea Poch and party leader Sam Rainsy, were stripped of their parliamentary immunity. Both Sam Rainsy and Chea Poch have since fled the country.
Mu Sochua said that the psychological pressure being caused by his pre-trial detention has already guaranteed that Cheam Channy won’t receive a fair trial.
“They’re intentionally trying to weaken him. It’s already an unfair trial,” she said.
Mu Sochua called on Cheam Channy’s colleagues in the National Assembly to support him.
“He’s a member of parliament elected by the people, so it has an effect on the National Assembly, an institution that guarantees the upholding of the democratic principles,” she said. “How come the National Assembly as a whole is not concerned?”
