About 60 Beoung Kak residents who planned to protest peacefully in fronta Phnom Penh appeal court on Monday morning were forced to move after they were stopped by police.
The court is due to make a decision on Wednesday in the appeal of 13 people sentenced to prison in May for occupying land awarded to property developer Shukaku.
Beoung Kak zone resident and protest spokeswoman Kim Vanny said the group was calling for independence from the court when it hands down its judgment.
Ms Vanny said the protest was held at the Ministry of Justice after the group was told to move on from the court because there was a meeting of high-ranking Cambodian and Vietnamese officialsin the area.
During the protest, Beoung Kak children placed photos of their mothers on their headsand called for their release. They said that their mothers had done nothing wronglike authorities accused them.
Beoung Kak resident and spokeswoman Yorm Bopha said she hoped the imprisoned villagers would be freed as a result of the group’s lobbying and advocacy work.
A group of Vietnamese officials came out from the ministry building and spoke to the children about the gathering.
Om Som Art, a spokesman and case monitor from human rights group Licadho said the judgment this week would be a test of the independence of the court and would show whether it was free from political interference.
Several Cambodian and international NGOs, as well as the United States, have criticized the detention of 15 Boeung Kak residents for being unjust and have called on the government to release them without condition.
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Sorry for copy and paste these sentences go into this blog!
To promote Economic Land Concession in Cambodia!
Thank you to Voice of Democracy
Please forgive!
Please forgive!