Cry for justice on Cambodian activist’s death anniversary
Kem Ley’s family, friends and supporters continue search for answers one year after he was shot dead in Phnom Penh
Thousands are travelling Takeo province’s Tram Kak district, where a Buddhist ceremony was held on Sunday to mark one year since Kem Ley was shot dead as he drank his morning coffee, sparking a nationwide outpouring of grief.
A former soldier, Oeuth Ang, admitted to pulling the trigger – claiming his motive was revenge for an unpaid US$3,000 debt – and was sentenced to life imprisonment in March. However, many insist the unemployed gunman was not the only one responsible for the assassination. Ang’s wife was among those who questioned where he would have got the money to offer such a loan, while others have raised suspicions about his ability to concoct the plan and purchase an expensive weapon.
“For people both in and outside Cambodia, we want to see the government and the court find the real killer,” said Kem Ley’s brother, Kem Rithisith, who said he and his family did not believe justice had been served.
Ahead of the one-year anniversary, a group of 164 local and international civil society organisations wrote to Interior Minister Sar Kheng, urging the government to establish “an independent and impartial commission of inquiry” into the case, slamming the investigation as “inadequate”.