Jailed Australian filmmaker James Ricketson makes plea for release
Australian filmmaker James Ricketson, who has spent seven months in Cambodian prison awaiting trial on “espionage” charges, made an impassioned plea for release yesterday, saying the case was “absolutely” political and that there was no evidence to suggest he was guilty of spying.
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“I’ve just been beaten up by the police at Prey Sar prison. There’s no evidence that I’ve done anything wrong,” he told reporters. “We’re transported in a tin can – with no water, no air conditioning. This is the kind of torture that’s inflicted on you whether you’re innocent or guilty.”
“When it became apparent that there was no evidence that I was guilty of espionage, I should have been released immediately,” he told the Supreme Court judges.
“I requested that I be at least told the country I was spying for – was it Australia, the US, France? Which country?”
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Investigating Judge Pich Vicheathor requested Ricketson be held for up to six months more in pre-trial detention while he combed through the Australian’s emails.
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“The court has my passport. I can’t leave the country unless I swim across the Mekong. You have $50,000 worth of my film equipment as surety,” he said.
His lawyer, Peung Yok Hiep, stressed that “if released on bail, my client will not do anything affecting social security”.
“He is innocent. The information he collected was only for cinema and to help the poor children in Cambodia. He collected information, but not to damage the national security,” she said, referring to the specific charge against him.
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A decision on Ricketson’s bail application will be made on January 17. He is also due to be questioned by the investigating judge at the municipal court on Friday in relation to his emails.