I just returned from a lecture at Cal by Mu Sochua, a member of the Cambodian Parliament. She is currently facing trial for a defamation suit brought on by the Prime Minister Hun Sen. As the story goes, Hun Sen made a derogatory remark about Mu Sochua on national radio/tv so Mu Sochua and some opposition party leaders filed a suit against the minister for defamation. The Khmer courts (read "Hun Sen's courts) dismissed the lawsuit and in turn accepted a countersuit from Hun Sen, claiming that Mu Sochua defamed him.
She has been on a speaking tour around the US and testified on behalf of Human Rights before Congress just last week. In her speech today she made an elegant and impassioned case for all of us to continue the fight for justice.
She returns to Cambodia in a week, now known as a "traitor," likely into the arms of police officers and miitary officials who will escort her to prison. Still, she insists she must go home. There is no other recourse in this fight.
Don't Compromise.
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