Representatives of the European Union (E.U.) met with officials from local rights group Adhoc on Tuesday to pledge their “moral and political support” as the organization’s head of monitoring faces criminal charges, according to Adhoc’s president.
Ny Chakrya was questioned at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on July 13 over accusations that he defamed and attempted to coerce two Siem Reap provincial court officials over a land dispute.
Mr. Chakrya held two press conferences in May to denounce judicial officials’ handling of the case, in which two farmers were eventually sentenced to prison.
Adhoc president Thun Saray said the E.U.—which he said provides about 25 percent of the group’s funding—promised “moral and political support for human rights defenders who are in a difficult situation” during Tuesday’s meeting.
Fiona Ramsey, acting charge d’affaires of the E.U.’s delegation to Cambodia, said in an email after the meeting that the complaints against Mr. Chakrya “were discussed within the context of Adhoc’s human rights work.”
“The E.U. Delegation will closely follow any developments in the case against Mr. Chakrya,” she added.
