The Voice of Democracy (VOD) on Wednesday filed complaints against Phnom Penh Governor Pa Socheatvong and two Daun Penh district officials over the beating of one of its reporters near Freedom Park on May 2.
The complaint against Mr. Socheatvong, as well as Daun Penh governor Sok Sambath and deputy governor Sok Penhvuth, requests that Lay Samean be compensated $30,000 for injuries sustained at the hands of the Daun Penh district security guards.
The injuries included a broken cheekbone, which required treatment at Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital.
“Our country should not be a paradise for suspects. I believe that the security guards were under orders from City Hall,” Pa Nguon Teang, the executive director of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), said Wednesday.
City Hall spokesman Long Dimanche warned that VOD must be able to prove the district and city governors were responsible for Mr. Samean’s injuries.
“It is their right to file a complaint but if the court questions whether they have enough evidence to prove it, maybe we will have to file a complaint against them,” Mr. Dimanche said.
