Prisoner Release – 1994
1994
“Although the practice of holding political prisoners, common under the SOC, has all but disappeared, there were a few cases in which persons were detained for political reasons. Newspaper editor Nguon Non was detained in July on national security charges and released in August pending trial; there is widespread speculation that he was arrested because the Government disapproved of his coverage of the July coup attempt (see Section 2.a.). A human rights worker for the NGO Adhoc in Prey Veng province was detained from November 1993 to February 1994 under an antiterrorism law; his alleged act of ‘terrorÔ was that he created instability and chaos by encouraging villagers to reclaim their property. Human rights groups believe his detention was an act of retaliation on the part of local authorities who suspected him of being the source of a news article describing the corrupt handling of land disputes by officials. Human rights observers also believe that several prisoners held in various areas on suspicion of being Khmer Rouge members were detained for political reasons” (U.S. Department of State, 1995).1“Cambodia Human Rights Practices, 1994,” U.S. Department of State, February 1995, accessed July 30, 2010, http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/democracy/1994_hrp_report/94hrp_report_eap…