Six police officials were charged with intentional killing at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday, and are being held at Prey Sar prison, municipal court Director Chiv Keng said Sunday.
The six were charged in connection with the death of a woman who was detained by police over a “minor” problem and died a few days after questioning, a senior Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity Sunday.
Municipal Minor Crime Police Chief Hong Setha, his deputy Ly Rasy, Minor Crime Criminal Section Chief Sim Sotha and his deputies Thon Chanary, Oung Samnang and Chan Vanny have been held at the prison since Saturday, Chiv Keng said.
Mok Chito, deputy chief of the Interior Ministry’s Penal Police Department, and Prey Sar prison chief Hak Vat both confirmed that the six officers, who were arrested Jan 24, are now incarcerated at the prison.
Interior Ministry officials contacted Sunday did not divulge the identity of the dead woman or other details of the alleged crime.
Khmer-language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea on Sunday identified the woman as Phsar Thmei market vendor Duong Sopheap, whose body was cremated at Wat Koh last June.
Police officials said last week that the six policemen had been detained at the Interior Ministry on suspicion of illegally deploying forces in a land dispute that led to the destruction of a Chinese cemetery in Dangkao district’s Kok Roka commune.
The six were initially suspended and were being held for investigation and possible internal disciplinary action, National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy said on Wednesday.
Two other officers, Municipal criminal section deputy chief Hong Vuthy and Prampi Makara district penal police chief Sao Mary, are also currently in police custody at the Intervention Police Department, Interior Ministry Penal Police Department Chief Muong Khim said on Sunday.
Muong Khim did not confirm or deny any connection between the two detained officers and the six held in Prey Sar prison.
The detentions came just weeks after the surprise removal, by way of promotion, of Phnom Penh’s then-police commissioner Heng Pov.
