Woman Charged Over Facebook Post Accusing PM of Links to Murder

FILE - In this May 16, 2012, file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia. Facebook is under fire for failing to rein in fake and biased news stories that some believe may have swayed the presidential election. Its predicament stems from this basic conundrum: It exercises great control over the news its users see, but it declines to assume the editorial responsibility that traditional publishers do. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Hin Van Sreypov, 37, a market vendor in Poipet, was arrested in Phnom Penh while she attended the one-year remembrance ceremony for Kem Ley.

A woman has been detained on charges of incitement after she posted a video to Facebook in which she accused Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family of involvement in the death of political commentator Kem Ley.

Hin Van Sreypov, 37, a market vendor in Poipet, allegedly posted the video using the name Heng Leakhena. She was arrested in Phnom Penh while she attended the one-year remembrance ceremony for the deceased analyst.

The video was deleted shortly after it was posted.

According to the arrest warrant, she was charged with “incitement”.

Ley was fatally shot at a Phnom Penh gas station on July 10, 2016. His alleged killer, Oeut Ang, was detained shortly after the shooting and later sentenced to life in prison.

Sok Sam Oeun, a veteran lawyer, said Cambodians should be wary of posting potentially illegal material on Facebook.

“All in all, we should talk in generalities without talking about specific people. If you want to direct your comments towards a specific person, you should have concrete evidence,” he said.

About a dozen people have been charged over online comments they have made linking senior ruling party officials to Ley’s death, including Sam Rainsy, the former president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.