Appeal Court to Try Stalled Case of Murdered Journalist
The case of journalist Hang Serei Odom, who was found hacked to death and stuffed into the trunk of his Toyota Camry in Ratanakkiri province’s O’Chum district on September 11 last year, will be heard by the Appeal Court in Phnom Penh, a senior court official said Monday. “A deputy general prosecutor reviewed the complaint and thought it was worth an appeal,” Appeal Court general prosecutor Ouk Savouth said. “The case [will be sent] to Phnom Penh so the Appeal Court can try the case,” he said, declining to say whether the decision to appeal the case was made because the previous decisions by the much-criticized Ratanakkiri Provincial Court were deemed to have been hugely flawed. The court’s decision to drop charges against Mr. Bunheng and Ms. Vy was widely condemned by human rights groups, including the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, who noted that Hang Serei Odom was the 11th journalist to be killed with impunity since 1994. … [Adhoc provincial coordinator] Mr. [Chhay] Thy said Monday that he applauded the decision by the Appeal Court to retry the case, insisting that the evidence collected by police regarding Hang Serei Odom’s murder was “strong enough to prove the couple were deeply involved in the journalist’s murder.” …
Kuch Naren
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/appeal-court-to-try-stalled-case-of-murdered-journalist-45107/
