Kem Sokha\u2019s lawyer Pheng Heng said the defense team will continue to push for the court to resume the trial, even if through alternative means. He said that if court authorities can\u2019t find a place to try Kem Sokha at the courthouse, they can find a different location, noting that past proceedings have been held in hotels and other similar venues.<\/p>\n
Pheng Heng called on the Ministry of Justice to intervene in the case. He also dismissed the court\u2019s concerns over the coronavirus, saying China is sending vaccines to the country.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The court] shouldn\u2019t be worried about COVID-19. Cambodia is planning to inject 10 million people and \u2026 people are using hand sanitizer and face masks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Pheng Heng noted that the Ministry of Justice recently announced that it had reduced the number of backlogged cases by 80 percent, which he said means that the court should have space on the docket to proceed with Kem Sokha\u2019s trial.<\/p>\n
Kem Sokha maintains his innocence while rights groups and Western governments say the charges against him are politically motivated, have never been supported by evidence, and should be dropped.<\/p>\n
Since his lawyers wrote to the court last month, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy met with the opposition chief, calling for Cambodia to expedite his trial and restore his political rights ahead of upcoming commune and general elections in 2022 and 2023, respectively.<\/p>\n
![\"cambodia-cnrp-trial-wives-protest-court-feb-2021.JPG\"](\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/cambodia\/trial-02042021170012.html\/cambodia-cnrp-trial-wives-protest-court-feb-2021.jpg\/@@images\/5146e98e-0a8c-46fa-82ba-d9cf073b3150.jpeg\" "\\"cambodia-cnrp-trial-wives-protest-court-feb-2021.JPG\\"")
The family members of CNRP defendants call for their release outside of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court while confronted by security personnel, Feb. 4, 2021. RFA<\/p>\n
Mass trial resumes<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday resumed a trial for 21 CNRP members on charges of \u201cconspiracy\u201d and \u201cincitement,\u201d questioning three activists about whether they had been in contact with the party\u2019s leaders living abroad, which they denied.<\/p>\n Acting CNRP chief Sam Rainsy, his wife Tioulong Saumura, CNRP deputy president Eng Chhai Eang, CNRP deputy president Mu Sochua, and other party officials have been accused of \u201cconspiracy,\u201d \u201cincitement to commit a felony or to disturb social security,\u201d and \u201cinciting military personnel to disobedience,\u201d under articles 453, 494, and 495 and 471 of Cambodia\u2019s criminal code.<\/p>\n Mu Sochua and fellow party leaders and activists living in self-imposed exile had planned to go back to Phnom Penh last month to face the charges, which they insist are designed to silence the opposition, but were blocked by airlines because Cambodia\u2019s government had canceled their passports or refused to provide them visas to enter the country.<\/p>\n Wives and family members of the defendants were forcefully prevented from entering the courthouse to monitor the trial by authorities, who detained four people before releasing them hours later.<\/p>\n Prumh Chantha, the wife of one of the defendants, told RFA the police had acted unjustly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will go forward and we will not be defeated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI am very proud of my husband who is a politician. As a wife I must follow his conscience. I won\u2019t back down and will continue to demand his release so the world will know of our injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n RFA was unable to contact Phnom Penh municipal spokesperson San Sok Seiha on Thursday for comment, but he has previously defended police action against the defendant\u2019s family members, saying they lack permission to gather.<\/p>\n The trial is expected to resume later this month.<\/p>\n