Opposition members of the Sam Rainsy Party say they want a delay in an upcoming hearing in a lawsuit brought against the party leader by a top ruling party official.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong is suing Sam Rainsy for comments he made that linked the minister to the Khmer Rouge, during a speech in 2008.
Sam Rainsy was found libel in the suit, which carries criminal penalties, by a lower court, which sentenced him to two years in jail and a fine of $2,000,
The Appeals Court announced last week it would hold a hearing on that decision on March 12.
SRP spokesman Yim Sovann told VOA Khmer that the party has been unable to find a lawyer to represent Sam Rainsy, who remains in exile abroad, and has requested from the Appeals Court a postponement of the hearing.
However, at least one defense lawyer in Phnom Penh, Choung Chou Ngy, says he has not received a request from the party to defend its leader.
Hor Namhong sued Sam Rainsy for defamation and incitement, for remarks made during a Khmer Rouge remembrance ceremony at the killing fields of Choeung Ek, outside the capital, in 2008.
The two-year sentenced handed down from the lower court adds to 10 years imprisonment Sam Rainsy is already facing, for charges related to his uprooting border markers in Svay Rieng province in 2009.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong is suing Sam Rainsy for comments he made that linked the minister to the Khmer Rouge, during a speech in 2008.
Sam Rainsy was found libel in the suit, which carries criminal penalties, by a lower court, which sentenced him to two years in jail and a fine of $2,000,
The Appeals Court announced last week it would hold a hearing on that decision on March 12.
SRP spokesman Yim Sovann told VOA Khmer that the party has been unable to find a lawyer to represent Sam Rainsy, who remains in exile abroad, and has requested from the Appeals Court a postponement of the hearing.
However, at least one defense lawyer in Phnom Penh, Choung Chou Ngy, says he has not received a request from the party to defend its leader.
Hor Namhong sued Sam Rainsy for defamation and incitement, for remarks made during a Khmer Rouge remembrance ceremony at the killing fields of Choeung Ek, outside the capital, in 2008.
The two-year sentenced handed down from the lower court adds to 10 years imprisonment Sam Rainsy is already facing, for charges related to his uprooting border markers in Svay Rieng province in 2009.
