Ny Sokha outside the Supreme Court in March 2017.

Four human rights workers and a national election official faced trial today at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on bribery charges linked to a case against former opposition leader Kem Sokha.

Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) staffers – Lim Mony, Ny Sokha, Yi Soksan and Nay Vanda – and National Election Committee (NEC) official Ny Chakrya were questioned about their dealings with Khom Chandaraty.

Chandaraty, the plaintiff and key witness in the trial, was not present in court and statements were read out for just two out of seven other absent witnesses which made cross-examination impossible. No credible evidence was presented by the prosecution.

The four ADHOC staffers are charged under Article 548 of the Criminal Code for “bribery of a witness”. NEC official and former ADHOC staff member Ny Chakrya stands accused of being an accomplice to the alleged crime, under Articles 548 and 29.

The five human rights defenders previously spent 14 months in pre-trial detention in Phnom Penh – a detention deemed arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention – before being released on bail in June 2017. Their arrests were part of an intense and ongoing crackdown on civil society organisations and human rights defenders.

If convicted, they face between five and ten years in prison.

A verdict will be announced at 2.30 pm on 26 September 2018.