Today marks the the passage of eight years since the murder of Chea Vichea, as well as eight years of failure by the Cambodian government to investigate the crime. Two men featured in the film Who Killed Chea Vichea? served nearly five of those years in prison, and are now on provisional release, in theory waiting for a re-trial that could clear the way for an investigation.

This year the Free Trade Union (now led by Vichea's brother, Mony) decided to cancel their annual march to the site of the assassination, saying it would conflict with laws related to the ongoing Senate election. Instead, according to the Phnom Penh Post, about 100 people attended a memorial ceremony at nearby Langka temple.

Opposition member of parliament Mu Sochua held out copies of Who Killed Chea Vichea? as evidence to justify an investigation into the case and said that she "handed a copy to an agent of the Ministry of Interior who was in the crowd asking him to take it to his bosses."

However, according to the Post, an Interior Ministry spokesman said the ministry cannot re-open the investigation into the murder since the two men are still officially guilty.

“The suspects in this case have been temporarily released, so they cannot be officially acquitted at this time,” spokeman Khieu Sopheak was quoted as saying. “If the court decides to acquit because these suspects are not the right people, we will re-open an investigation.”

Khieu Sopheak also condemned Mu Sochua’s distribution of Who Killed Chea Vichea? and called people who accused high-ranking officials of any wrongdoing “cowards.”

“If you are brave, tell us who the high-ranking officials are,” he said. “You have defamed these officials, you must say who they are if you have the documents to prove it.”

The spokesman did not explain, at least in the article, why a person would have to be brave to make such an accusation.

Labels: news, press

Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Sen, has signed off on a request from the Free Trade Workers to permit the placement of a statue in Phnom Penh to honor Chea Vichea.

Chea Vichea’s brother, Chea Mony, who has now assumed his elder sibling’s mantle as president of Cambodia’s Free Trade Union, said the FTU sent an annual letter on the anniversary of Chea Vichea’s assassination to the King requesting a statue be built, but their plea had been ignored every time. ... Hun Sen’s approval of the monument came with the caveat that the FTU would be responsible for funding and construction and that they must first have discussions with Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema. (more in Phnom Penh Post, Jan 4, 2012)

It seems previous requests had not been directed to the appropriate recipient. The governor of Phnom Penh was cited in the Post saying that had Chea Mony petitioned Hun Sen directly, the request "would have been granted a long time ago."

The city is responsible for helping to pay for the statue, says Chea Mony, based on the note that Hun Sen wrote on the FTU's request. As translated by the Post, the note reads “Agree as requested. Please Excellency Kep Chuktema help prepare construction by discussing with Mr Chea Mony.” (more in Phnom Penh Post, Jan 5, 2012)

A few days later, Vichea's widow Chea Kimny wrote this appeal to the Cambodian government:

I am very happy that the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) succeeded in its demand to the royal government to provide a location for the building of a statue for Chea Vichea, my husband. 

However, I and my two children, as well as the public – in particular all the workers – believe that Chea’s Vichea’s soul has not found peace yet, and he cannot leave this world yet because justice was not provided to him since the government could not find the killers.

Therefore, I and my two children are asking the government to find justice for our beloved husband and father.

Done in Finland, 09 January 2012

Labels: news

Ron Abney, a kindly fighter for freedom, passed away as this new year began.

Ron spent many years side by side with the Cambodian democracy movement as an adviser and ally. He was wounded in the 1997 grenade attack against peaceful demonstrators in Phnom Penh, and never stopped demanding justice for those who died there. He founded Voices for Global Change and became a pillar of the Takeo Orphanage in Cambodia. And in the last three years, he served on the advisory board for Who Killed Chea Vichea?.

Ron was a man who would chip away at the wall of injustice even if it were a thousand miles high. If all of us did the same, it would fall in an instant.

Thank you, Ron.

More:
Memorial on Ron's Facebook page
Obituary in the Atlanta Journal Constitution
Article from Voice of America
Statement from International Republican Institute

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Who Killed Chea Vichea? comes to Alsace for a screening in the International Human Rights Film Festival (FIFDH). Followed by a presentation by Sophia Schweitzer, of the Strasbourg Human Rights League. This will be our sixth screening in France, after Paris, Cannes, Marseilles, Nante and Metz.

Labels: festivals, screenings

Who Killed Chea Vichea? screens in the International Human Rights Film Festival (FIFDH) Metz. Followed by a discussion with Michéle Ledran of Amnesty International.

Labels: festivals, screenings

Who Killed Chea Vichea? will be screened in the Reel Voices Film Festival on November 18. Producer Rich Garella will be speaking there along with Liz Louizides, Dr. Katie Kashmanian and Karen and Bart Feder of the Ridgewood Village Schools' Cambodia Project.

Labels: festivals, screenings

The second AsiaLENS screening of Who Killed Chea Vichea? is on Tuesday, November 8 and will include a discussion led by Matthew S. Winters, Assistant Professor in the Political Science department of the University of Illinois and including (via skype) film producer Jeffrey Saunders.
AsiaLENS is a series of free public film screenings and lecture / discussion programs -- organized by AEMS in collaboration with the Spurlock Museum -- presenting recent documentary films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia. All AsiaLENS screenings are free and open to the public.

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Who Killed Chea Vichea? will be shown twice in the AsiaLENS film series, sponsored by the Asian Educational Media Service at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The first screening will be followed by a discussion led by Susan Norris of the AEMS.

AsiaLENS is a series of free public film screenings and lecture / discussion programs -- organized by AEMS in collaboration with the Spurlock Museum -- presenting recent documentary films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia. All AsiaLENS screenings are free and open to the public.

Labels: screenings

The German premiere of Who Killed Chea Vichea? will take place in the 4th Radar Hamburg International Independent Film Festival. The festival runs Oct 24-29, 2011.

Look for complete program and ticket information to be posted soon at www.radarhamburg.com.

Labels: festivals, screenings

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Please join us at New York University for a screening of Who Killed Chea Vichea?.

The screening is free and open to the public, and sponsored by NYU's Wagner School of Public Service and Asian Pacific American Student Alliance.

Producer Rich Garella will be present for a discussion after the film.

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Who Killed Chea Vichea? will be screened at the United Nations Church Center in New York as part of the conference Ending Genocide in Cambodia: Creating a Culture of Peace & Human Rights. Producer Rich Garella will introduce the film and take questions afterward.

The conference as a whole runs from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Labels: screenings

Thanks to the Twin Cities IWW (International Workers of the World) for screening Who Killed Chea Vichea?.

Along with the film there will be a discussion on "Asian sweatshops, unions, and strategies."

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The Phnom Penh Post reports today that the Khmer-language version of Who Killed Chea Vichea? has received more than 9,000 views on YouTube and Vimeo since it was posted five days ago (see vicheamovie.com).

Over the past year and a half, Cambodian officials have offered a variety of justifications for banning the film's import and screening in Cambodia.

Labels: news, press

International House Philadelphia's monthly Culture+Cuisine night will feature a screening of Who Killed Chea Vichea? and discussion with producer Rich Garella, along with a three-course meal at South Philadelphia's newest Cambodian restaurant.

Tickets are $30. Please reserve yours at IHP's web site.

Labels: screenings

Abby Seiff of The Cambodia Daily reports on the release of the Khmer-language version of Who Killed Chea Vichea?, quoting director Bradley Cox saying that he was hopeful the online release would provide an opportunity for wide distribution.

"[T]he producers and I have always felt that any Cambodian who wants to see the movie should be able to see it, regardless of what the authorities say ... the movie now starts off with excerpts from the Cambodian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that clearly state their right to see it."

The movie is fully dubbed in Khmer. It can be seen at vicheamovie.com as well as on the video services Vimeo and YouTube.

See also Phnom Penh Post article and Voice of America posting

Labels: news, press

Who Killed Chea Vichea? wins the 2011 Maverick Movie Award for Best Chronicle (short category).

Maverick's goal is to "is to help talented moviemakers achieve the recognition they deserve by awarding movies with unique style, exceptional craft, and the power to communicate."

We'll take it!

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More than two and half years after Cambodia's Supreme Court ordered the provisional release of the two men convicted in the killing of Chea Vichea and instructed the Appeals Court to re-try them, the wheels of Cambodian justice started to turn, haltingly, this week.

The hearing was announced for Wednesday, The Cambodia Daily reported:

"This is yet another test case for the independence of the Cambodian judiciary," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch. "If there is a shred of justice left in the country, they should be released unconditionally and compensation paid for their wrongful imprisonment."

Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun had served almost five years in prison when they were released on bail on January 1, 2009. The story of the police plot and judicial collusion that resulted in their conviction and imprisonment is told in the documentary Who Killed Chea Vichea?.

However the Phnom Penh Post reported today that on Wednesday the hearing was adjourned to an unspecified date so that Vichea's brother, Chea Mony, (curiously referred to as the plaintiff) could find a lawyer.

If the re-appeal ever does proceed, the court will be faced with a difficult choice: either re-convict two men who are obviously innocent, or openly admit that the government has never focused on finding the men who actually carried out the murder of Chea Vichea ... and those who ordered it.

Or will the courts find a third solution? That would require considerable creativity.

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DVDs of Who Killed Chea Vichea? are now available — order yours here!

(To all who pre-ordered a DVD, thank you so much! We couldn't have done it without your help. You'll receive your copy soon, as fast as we can get them from the distributor and send them out!)

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