Front Line welcomes the release of human rights defender Mr Sous Chanta on Friday 24 June 2011 following a verdict of  the Phnom Penh Court. The decision by the court which was made at 12.00pm on Friday local time convicted Sous Chanta to 10 months imprisonment on the charge of drug distribution. The charge was lowered from drug trafficking to drug distribution for personal use. Given that Sous Chanta was detained prior to the trial for 7 months and 5 days, the remainder of the sentence (2 months 25 days) will be suspended.

Further information

Mr Sous Chanta is a prominent trade union leader and human rights defender in Cambodia. He is a union leader with United Apparel Garment Factory and the Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union (CCAWDU). It is believed that the charge against him had been fabricated by the authorities due to his human rights work after he led 1,000 workers to switch their membership from the government-aligned Independent and Democratic Union Federation (IDUF) to the CCAWDU, which is being seen as more pro- worker than the IDUF.

He was the subject of a previous Front Line appeal dated 13 December 2010 (http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/14036). Front Line reiterates its call to the Cambodian authorities to guarantee in all circumstances that trade unionists and human rights defenders in Cambodia are free to carry out their legitimate activities in defending and protecting the rights of others, without fear of reprisals and all restrictions, including judicial harassment.