Cambodian court sentences Australian filmmaker to six years in prison for espionage

Australian filmmaker James Ricketson (centre), is blocked by a Cambodian police officer in a police van while leaving the Municipal Court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Aug 31, 2018. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

PHNOM PENH (REUTERS) - A Cambodian court sentenced an Australian filmmaker to six years in prison on Friday (Aug 31) after finding him guilty of espionage for flying a drone over an opposition party's political rally.

James Ricketson, 69, was arrested last June after he was photographed flying the drone above the rally organised by the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and staged ahead of a communal election.

Ricketson was charged with espionage, although it remains unclear for whom he was spying. His family called the court sentence an "absolute tragedy".

"The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to convict James Ricketson and sentences him to six years in prison for espionage and collecting information that is harmful to the nation between December 2010 and June 2017," Judge Seng Leang said.

Ricketson, who has spent more than a year behind bars after his bail was denied, appeared in court wearing a pink prison uniform and holding a copy of the spy-triller book The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson.

Speaking in court after the verdict, Ricketson expressed disbelief. "Which country was I conducting espionage for?" he asked.

"James is almost 70 and is not in good health, our family is very scared about what will happen to him in there if things take a turn for the worst," Ricketson's family said in a statement following the verdict, referring to Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison where Ricketson has been jailed.

"James is not a spy. James loves Cambodia and the Cambodian people. He is a filmmaker and a humanitarian," the family said.

During hearings that began last week, the prosecution argued that Ricketson's work had damaged Cambodia's reputation on the world stage.

Ricketson has been visiting Cambodia for more than 20 years, producing documentaries about the country and its people.

Ricketson's son, Jesse Ricketson, said: "It's very difficult to imagine what the future holds now for my dad. I'm absolutely terrified for him."

In a letter to Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen last month, Ricketson apologised for statements to local media that were disrespectful to Hun Sen.

Ricketson's arrest came amid a wider crackdown on freedom of expression by Hun Sen's government and his Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

The CPP last month claimed victory following a controversial general election which was largely unopposed.

Rights groups said the July 29 vote was neither free nor fair, given the absence of a significant challenger to Hun Sen, who has ruled for 33 years.

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