CPP lawmakers vote in favour of controversial amendments to the Law on Political Parties during a National Assembly session in July. Pha Lina
6 Oct, 2017 - Mech Dara
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The Interior Ministry has filed complaints to the Supreme Court asking for the Cambodia National Rescue Party to be dissolved ahead of next year’s crucial national elections.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak, speaking outside a closed-door meeting of ministers and high-level commanders, today confirmed lawyer Ky Tech had taken the next step towards putting an end to the country’s main opposition party.
“Lawyer Ky Tech has filed the complaints to the Supreme Court and the complaints are to dissolve the CNRP,” he said, adding that Tech represented Interior Minister Sar Kheng on the case.
The requests to dissolve the CNRP were first brought to the Interior Ministry by the Cambodian Youth Party and royalist party Funcinpec on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Sopheak said the ministry had conducted a thorough investigation into the opposition party and collected sufficient evidence to launch their own complaint.
“Ky Tech and the other five lawyers have enough documents, and what I know is that they have at least 21 pieces of evidence.”
“The Ministry of Interior has done an investigation and has all the documents and gave them to the lawyer to take action, complying with the procedure.”
The Supreme Court is the highest rung in the Kingdom’s justice system, and once its decision is handed down, there is no recourse for appeal.
The potential dissolution of the party is made possible by controversial amendments to the Law on Political Parties, passed first in February and again in July. The changes prohibit people with criminal convictions from holding leadership positions within the party, and further forbid parties from conspiring with criminals, using their image, or from undermining national security – a vague term whose scope legal analysts have said is problematic.
CNRP leader Kem Sokha was arrested on September 3 on charges of treason, in a case commentators widely believe is politically motivated to quash the opposition before the elections.
The CYP complaint filed earlier this week alleged Sokha “made a conspiracy with foreigners for the purpose of colour revolution”, while Funcinpec claimed the opposition head had crafted a plot to “topple the government”, and that it was “impossible to separate this crime as an individual crime of Kem Sokha and ignore the responsibility of the CNRP as a whole”.
CNRP chief whip Son Chhay and deputy president Mu Sochua, who fled the country this week, were not immediately available for comment today.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said the legal challenge to the CNRP’s existence was in accordance with the law. He added that the lack of an opposition party was not a threat to democracy in the Kingdom.
“Democracy does not allow for anyone to commit crimes – it does not pave the way or [roll out] the red carpet to act as a criminal,” he said.
The idea that the charges were spurious and politically driven was merely a “preconception” of the CNRP, he added.
Additional reporting by Erin Handley
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