Cambodian land activist Bopha freed for retrial

Cambodian prisoner Yorm Bopha (centre) is escorted by a prison guard at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh yesterday.

AFP/Phnom Penh

Cambodia’s Supreme Court yesterday freed an outspoken land activist and ordered her retrial, in a controversial case that has sparked international criticism from rights groups.

Yorm Bopha, who was jailed for three years last December for allegedly taking part in beating two men, walked free from the hearing after judges returned the case to the appeal court “for further investigation”.

But the 30-year-old land rights campaigner, named a “prisoner of conscience” by Amnesty International, slammed the court’s decision to retry her.  

“Even though I am being released, I still not satisfied with this decision,” she said. “I still fear that I could be arrested again.”

Hundreds of supporters gathered near the court, many from Yorm Bopha’s village in the Boeung Kak Lake area of the capital. Campaigners say the charges were trumped up to silence her activism in Boeung Kak, where a private company has filled in the lake and displaced thousands of families.

In a statement this week, Amnesty said it believed “the real reason for Yorm Bopha’s imprisonment is her human rights activism”. 

Forced evictions across the country have displaced thousands of families and prompted protests and violent clashes between residents and armed security forces.

Rights groups say Cambodia’s legal system is in thrall to powerful and wealthy interests, leaving the country without the rule of law.