CNRP Vice President Kem Sokha announced on his Facebook page on Tuesday that he would honor his summons to appear at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning to answer questions about the opposition party’s protests in 2013 and 2014.
“I, Kem Sokha, will go to give answer at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court at 8.30 a.m. on August 8, 2015,” Mr. Sokha writes on his page, without any further comment.
The post followed speculation over whether Mr. Sokha, who has immunity from prosecution as a lawmaker, would respect the summons. Earlier in the day, Mr. Sokha’s lawyer, Chan Chen, said he was not sure whether his client would go.
“Now you could say it’s 50-50,” Mr. Chen said at the time. Prime Minister Hun Sen last month threatened to have the courts prosecute Mr. Sokha, after the deputy opposition leader delivered a speech that Mr. Hun Sen interpreted as a confession to a coup plot.
Another lawyer for Mr. Sokha, Meng Sopheary, said she did not believe the court would pursue the case any further after today’s questioning.
“He’s a parliamentarian with immunity, which requires two-thirds of all members of the National Assembly to be stripped,” Ms. Sopheary said.
“That is why we don’t think there will be any arrest of our client.”
