The Phnom Penh Municipal Court will question three opposition CNRP lawmakers this morning over a street brawl at a July 15 protest that the authorities have described as an “insurrection” against Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government. Three CNRP youth organizers remain in prison over the clashes.
According to court orders issued last week and late last month, CNRP Vice President Kem Sokha, senior opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua and lawmaker Keo Phirum are to appear before the court Monday to be questioned.
All three of the CNRP officials were sworn in as lawmakers on Tuesday and now enjoy immunity from legal prosecution.
“[T]he Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigating judge, invites Kem Sokha, 61, a Cambodian national responsible on behalf of the presidency of the CNRP…to Phnom Penh municipal court on August 11 at 10 a.m.,” one order from investigating Judge Keo Mony says.
“Follow the summon’s invitation on time and bring any documents relevant to the above incident if you have them,” it continues.
On the day of the July 15 street brawl, in which opposition protesters violently retaliated against district security guards, Mr. Sokha was the acting president of the CNRP, with party President Sam Rainsy claiming at the time to be on a remote island in France.
The protest, led by Ms. Sochua, resulted in seven lawmakers-elect and a party official being jailed in the three days that followed, with a solution to the yearlong political deadlock then negotiated on July 22 after Mr. Rainsy returned from France.
The eight were almost immediately released on bail, with indications from CPP officials that the case against them would be dropped once they were lawmakers.
The CNRP’s 55 lawmakers were sworn into office Tuesday. However, on August 3, three days before the swearing-in ceremony, authorities in Phnom Penh arrested three CNRP Youth organizers in Phnom Penh and jailed them over the violent protest.
Mr. Rainsy visited the trio in Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar prison on Saturday and repeated the claims he has been making for over a week that the government will soon release them.
“We don’t know anything yet. We hope [to know] on Monday. It’s not too long away,” he said.
Sam Sokong, a lawyer for the CNRP’s lawmakers as well as the youth activists, said the lawmakers were not required to attend the questioning.
“The judge cannot question the lawmakers and it has to delay the questioning since they have immunity,” he said. “If it wants to question them, it has to write a letter to request the National Assembly remove their immunity first.”
Such a move would require the approval of 83 lawmakers, or two-thirds of parliament. The CPP has 68 lawmakers.
CNRP spokesman Yem Ponhearith said that despite their immunity from prosecution, Mr. Sokha, Ms. Sochua and Mr. Phirum will appear in court as requested.
