Girl arrested at 13yo has spent 8 mths in Prey Sar prison.
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 1:15 am
Terrible tale of a juvenile defendant locked up in Prey Sar while awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking drugs. Police have apparently confused the 13yo with her 20yo sister... they continue to deny any mistake...in the meantime, the girl remains locked up.
Girl’s age at centre of prison debate
Fri, 9 September 2016
Niem Chheng and Erin Handley
A girl allegedly detained at the age of 13 on drug charges who has lived in Prey Sar prison for the past eight months has had her trial hearing postponed, following complaints from her lawyers that the detention was illegal.
Though the age of criminal responsibility is 14, Chhay Reaksmey was 10 days shy of her 14th birthday when she was arrested for alleged drug trafficking on December 25, 2015.
Reaksmey was born on January 3, 2002, according to a residence book produced by her lawyers and seen by the Post.
Seng Liv, 57, Reaksmey’s mother, said that despite telling commune police her daughter was 13 at the time, they inexplicably recorded the arrest under her sister’s name and age: Ros Srey Lim, then 20 years old.
Reaksmey’s lawyers have demanded her release and DNA tests to confirm her age, stressing she was used as a drug mule by a powerful person in her home district of Russey Keo. Ouk Vandeth, her lawyer at International Bridge of Justice, said an underage child cannot be detained or tried.
“Under 14, she cannot be detained. We don’t care how old she is now. We care about her age at the point in time when she committed a crime and got detained,” he said. “I cannot say why the police put her at 20 years of age. She is too young to be 20. She still plays with rubber bands...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/g ... son-debate
Girl’s age at centre of prison debate
Fri, 9 September 2016
Niem Chheng and Erin Handley
A girl allegedly detained at the age of 13 on drug charges who has lived in Prey Sar prison for the past eight months has had her trial hearing postponed, following complaints from her lawyers that the detention was illegal.
Though the age of criminal responsibility is 14, Chhay Reaksmey was 10 days shy of her 14th birthday when she was arrested for alleged drug trafficking on December 25, 2015.
Reaksmey was born on January 3, 2002, according to a residence book produced by her lawyers and seen by the Post.
Seng Liv, 57, Reaksmey’s mother, said that despite telling commune police her daughter was 13 at the time, they inexplicably recorded the arrest under her sister’s name and age: Ros Srey Lim, then 20 years old.
Reaksmey’s lawyers have demanded her release and DNA tests to confirm her age, stressing she was used as a drug mule by a powerful person in her home district of Russey Keo. Ouk Vandeth, her lawyer at International Bridge of Justice, said an underage child cannot be detained or tried.
“Under 14, she cannot be detained. We don’t care how old she is now. We care about her age at the point in time when she committed a crime and got detained,” he said. “I cannot say why the police put her at 20 years of age. She is too young to be 20. She still plays with rubber bands...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/g ... son-debate