An opposition senator who has been jailed since August has lost an appeal to be released on bail.
Sen. Hong Sok Hour, a lawmaker for the opposition, is accused of posting fake documents related to the Vietnamese border online.
Rights groups say he should be released on bail, since he is in poor health and has put forward bail money and his passport.
The Court of Appeals upheld the decision of a lower court, which said the release the senator would lead to “social chaos.” The Appeals judge did not specify further following the hearing Wednesday.
“I think it is unfair,” defense attorney Choung Choungy said. “Hong Sok Hour is in his elderly years already, and he is also a senator. So far, the senate hasn’t taken away his privilege. In the legal context, as a lawyer, I think he should be released. But it is up to the court to decide.”
He will appeal the bail to the Supreme Court, he said.
