http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wxel/ ... n.CambodiaBy Prak Chan Thul
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A Russian businessman accused of sexually abusing 17 children in Cambodia's largest-known pedophile case had his sentence reduced to eight years from 17 on Thursday in an appeal that riled human rights advocates.
Lawyers for Alexander Trofimov, 43, who is also wanted by Interpol and Russia for suspected sex offences, said there was no solid evidence to prove he had abused 17 girls while working as a director of a holiday resort company.
The judge said Trofimov paid as little as $5 and as much as $2,000 for sex with girls from 2006 to 2007 in Cambodia's seaside Preah Sihanouk province but reduced the sentence because he apologized and, as a foreigner, did not know the local laws.
Trofimov is the highest-profile case brought to court since Cambodia launched an anti-pedophile drive three years ago to ditch its reputation as a haven for foreign child abusers. The number of victims makes it the largest on record.
"The court's decision is surprising. The public will have difficulty accepting this," Noun Phanith, lawyer for the victims, told reporters. "Eight years is unacceptable."
The move comes as Cambodia, a country blighted by poverty, corruption, human rights abuses and a thriving sex industry, seeks to clean up its image and attract foreign investment.
Since 2008, 64 suspected pedophiles, mostly foreigners, have been arrested, with 45 convictions so far, according to Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), a French group working closely with Cambodia's police to track sex offenders.
Bith Kimhong, head of Cambodia's Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department, said there was a worrying trend of sex and rape involving children but that Cambodia was committed to stamping out a crime that was hurting its image.
"We want the offender to stay in prison for a long time. That is our work. But the sentence is the court's authority," he said.
Trofimov was executive director of Koh Puos Investment Group until his arrest in 2007 and lived in Sihanoukville, a beach town infamous for child prostitution and a magnet for pedophiles driven out of neighboring countries after similar crackdowns.
His company was leading a $300 million resort and shopping development for an island off Preah Sihanouk.
"Does our judiciary help to protect children or does it assist sex offenders?" said Naly Pilorge, director of local human-rights rights group Licadho.
"Apologizing or paying out-of-court settlements to victims cannot warrant reducing the sentence of child sex offenders."
Trofimov was originally charged with abusing 19 underage girls but the number was reduced after his appeal to 17.
Cambodia rejected Russia's request to extradite Trofimov to face similar charges in his home country where is he is known as Stanislav Molodyakov and wanted by Interpol .
Peng Maneth, a lawyer who represented one of his victims, a 14-year-old girl, described the Russian as a dangerous man who should never be freed. "He didn't just invest in (resorts), he also invested in sex with children," Peng Maneth said.
(Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Nick Macfie)
© Copyright 2010, Reuters
Russian pedophile case riles rights groups in Cambodia
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Russian pedophile case riles rights groups in Cambodia
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- Sok Poupe
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The judge said Trofimov paid as little as $5 and as much as $2,000 for sex with girls from 2006 to 2007 in Cambodia's seaside Preah Sihanouk province but reduced the sentence because he apologized and, as a foreigner, did not know the local laws.
See! It really helps to be polite!
I do wonder what he was sorry about... I'm a bit offended by this unequal distribution of wealth, for example...
The topic or post you are looking for does not exist.
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Sok Poupe wrote:The judge said Trofimov paid as little as $5 and as much as $2,000 for sex with girls from 2006 to 2007 in Cambodia's seaside Preah Sihanouk province but reduced the sentence because he apologized and, as a foreigner, did not know the local laws.
See! It really helps to be polite!
I do wonder what he was sorry about... I'm a bit offended by this unequal distribution of wealth, for example...
And ....
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/ ... -free.html
He's out, a reformed character
I came, I argued, I'm out
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It's good to know people can change. I'm sure he hasn't even been near a young girl since he was sent to prison.
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I'm perplexed by some people.
Everyone scrambles to catch a guy/some guys who murder a woman in broad daylight. Some may say (only cynics and skeptics) that the only reason the case was solved so quickly was because of it's youtube exposure and the embarrassment that this generated for Cambodia's good name.
So, if one accepts the logic of the robbery result, and even the small part that the video might have played in bringing criminals to justice, how does one explain the release of this guy?
Is fucking little girls acceptable? perhaps foreigners can rob banks or murder (I don't know if there's a law against this, but I'll apologise if there is - afterwards) and get away with it, as long as we sit quietly in jail and don't rob any banks or murder while we're there.(and pay tea money)
Sometimes I feel that Cambodia need not worry about the oft-touted villains from Vietnam or Thailand, the most serious problems are created by Cambodians.
Call me a pessimist, but when I see something like this, I want to puke.
barangdave wrote:
'It's good to know people can change. I'm sure he hasn't even been near a young girl since he was sent to prison.'
I wouldn't be at all surprised if he had them in prison too.
Everyone scrambles to catch a guy/some guys who murder a woman in broad daylight. Some may say (only cynics and skeptics) that the only reason the case was solved so quickly was because of it's youtube exposure and the embarrassment that this generated for Cambodia's good name.
So, if one accepts the logic of the robbery result, and even the small part that the video might have played in bringing criminals to justice, how does one explain the release of this guy?
Is fucking little girls acceptable? perhaps foreigners can rob banks or murder (I don't know if there's a law against this, but I'll apologise if there is - afterwards) and get away with it, as long as we sit quietly in jail and don't rob any banks or murder while we're there.(and pay tea money)
Sometimes I feel that Cambodia need not worry about the oft-touted villains from Vietnam or Thailand, the most serious problems are created by Cambodians.
Call me a pessimist, but when I see something like this, I want to puke.
barangdave wrote:
'It's good to know people can change. I'm sure he hasn't even been near a young girl since he was sent to prison.'
I wouldn't be at all surprised if he had them in prison too.
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
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Vlad, maybe THIS thread helps to understand the mindset: http://www.khmer440.com/chat_forum/view ... =1&t=21067
Depressing, isn't it?
Depressing, isn't it?
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That link doesn't seem to be working anymore. Here's the new one:andyinasia wrote:http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/ ... -free.html
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/ ... ville.html
How much does a royal pardon cost? Surely it would be more than the $250,000 he had paid for the phony extradition papers.
From the WP:
Any reports on the other 359?Trofimov was one of 360 prisoners granted amnesty by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni
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I can't see this playing well with the Americans.
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I wonder how much the average paedophile spends in Cambodia per day compared to a normal tourist/ barang resident? (sorry to be so politically incorrect).
Obviously, some people feel they represent a burgeoning market.
Obviously, some people feel they represent a burgeoning market.
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
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Sadly, you're probably right. It happened in the UK a few years ago as well.vladimir wrote:I wouldn't be at all surprised if he had them in prison too.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/minis ... 46643.html
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The whole case is outrageous and shows the authorities up in their true light. According to the Daily, the Russian papers have reported a litany of his crimes (in Russia) including raping six 9-to-10 year old girls who he lured to his mansion with promises of modeling contracts.Cambodia rejected Russia's request to extradite Trofimov to face similar charges in his home country where is he is known as Stanislav Molodyakov and wanted by Interpol .
This statement by Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Sboang Sarath beggars belief:
"I think Mr. Trofimov was not a tycoon but just a researcher who managed Koh Puos. If he was a tycoon, he would not have committed crimes like this."
It is now unclear where Trofimov is, but it seems he was released back into the public, to do whatever.....
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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Where are all the ugly italian ladies when you meed em eh..
Fat people are harder to kidnap..
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