"Koh Kong Land Protester Sentenced to Jail, but Not Detained", 20 July 2022

A Koh Kong resident in dispute with a sugar plantation was sentenced to a year in prison ... for malicious denunciation, but remains free for now with no arrest warrant issued by the court.

The Koh Kong Provincial Court issued the verdict against Deth Huor, a community representative in Sre Ambel district’s Chi Khor Loeu commune, for malicious denunciation and defamation charges that have arisen out of a land dispute with oknha Heng Huy.

Huy has filed multiple court complaints against protesters who say they are losing land to Huy’s sugar plantation. The dispute dates back more than a decade, and has involved hundreds of local families.

Huor, who was also fined 2 million riel (about $500), told VOD on Wednesday that she believed the verdict was unfair and would appeal the court’s decision.

“I feel really hurt that the court believed Mr. Heng Huy while hundreds of families lost their land because of Heng Huy’s encroachment,” Huor said. “When we lose land or lose something unfairly, why can’t we protest, and talk about that?”

According to Huor, the defamation part of the case related to a photo of Huy she posted on Facebook alongside criticism of him encroaching on people’s land.

... Her lawyer, Sam Chamroeun, said no arrest warrant had been issued for Huor despite the prison sentence...

Huy, the tycoon, ... last year told ... that his company had legal rights to the disputed area and denied it was encroaching on people’s land.