Cambodian court charges opposition senator with 3 counts of crimes

A Cambodian court on Sunday charged opposition senator Hong Sok Hour with three counts of crimes and ordered to place him in a pre-trial detention, according to court officials and a defense lawyer.

The senator was arrested on Saturday morning at a villa in Phnom Penh's Sen Sok district after he posted to Facebook on Wednesday a fake international treaty related to the Cambodia and Vietnam border.

"After examining the evidence, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court's prosecutor decided to charge Hong Sok Hour with three counts: falsified a public document, used the falsified document, and incited serious chaos to social security," Phnom Penh Municipal Court's prosecutor Yet Chakriya said in a statement.

In another statement, questioning judge Kor Vandy announced that he decided to detain the 59-year-old senator at Prey Sar prison awaiting trial for these charges.

Speaking to reporters outside the court on Sunday, Chuong Choungy, a defense lawyer for Hong Sok Hour, said that with the charges, the senator could face five to ten years in prison if convicted.

In a letter sent to Nai Pena, Acting President of the Senate, on Saturday, National Police chief Neth Savoeun said the arrest of the senator Hong Sok Hour was made based on a "red-handed" crime and in accordance with the kingdom's code of criminal procedures.

According to Article 104 of the country's Constitution, senators enjoy broad-based immunity from prosecution, detention or arrest, except in cases when a senator is caught red-handed in a criminal act.

Hong Sok Hour's arrest came after the order of Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday. In a speech at a graduation ceremony, the prime minister said the senator, who holds Cambodian and French citizenship, had committed a "national treason" that must be arrested immediately.

However, the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and Cambodia National Rescue Party issued statements on Saturday, calling for the release of the senator without any conditions, saying that he did not commit a "red-handed" crime, so the arrest without removing his parliamentary immunity first was contrary to the law.