The Appeal Court in Tbong Khmum has issued a written final decision dropping charges against former Cambodia Daily journalists Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter, finally bringing an end to their prosecution with no further scope for appeals, their defense lawyer said.
A provincial court of appeals has upheld a decision to drop charges against two former Cambodia Daily journalists, potentially bringing to an end a long-running criminal case that has dogged the reporters after the shuttering of their publication.
A Ratanakiri Provincial Court spokesman said on Thursday that nearly three months ago prosecutors appealed a judge’s decision to drop the case against Cambodia Daily journalists Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter, contradicting earlier statements.
The Ratanakiri Provincial Court’s written decision dropping the case against Cambodia Daily journalists Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter, issued on Thursday, gives state prosecutors three months to object.
The Ratanakiri Provincial Court on Tuesday dropped the incitement charges leveled against two former reporters for the Cambodia Daily as the plaintiff in the case withdrew his complaint three years after bringing them to the court.
The trial of former Cambodia Daily journalists Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter, charged three years ago as the newspaper shut down amid a government crackdown, has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the Ratanakiri Provincial Court.
A provincial court delayed a hearing against former Cambodia Daily reporters Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter today for an indefinite period, citing the absence of a judge.
The first hearing in a trial against two former Cambodia Daily journalists is scheduled for December 25, more than two years after they were accused of incitement over their reporting in Ratanakiri province ahead of the 2017 commune elections, their lawyer and a court clerk said on Friday.
Former Cambodia Daily readers say they miss their routine of reading critical, balanced news coverage of the nation. Many say their news diet had shifted — with some left hungry — since the newspaper’s closure.
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