The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail for convicted Russia Today news fixer Rath Rott Mony in an appeal process that began before Rott Mony was sentenced in June to two years in prison for his involvement in a documentary about sex trafficking.
Judge Chan Raingsey read the decision to uphold the Appeal Court’s verdict of Jan. 31, but did not give the court’s reasoning.
Rott Mony was arrested in December two months after the airing of “My Mother Sold Me,” which said underage girls in Cambodia were being sold for sex by impoverished families. The government rejected the documentary’s claims, saying the film “destroys Cambodia’s culture and reputation.”
Rott Mony has maintained that he acted only as an interpreter, but during his trial was accused of promising cash to families to tell false stories.
Soeng Senkaruna, spokesman of human right group Adhoc, said it would be strange had the court granted Rott Mony bail, since his trial was already over and he had been sentenced to jail.
However, Rott Mony should never have been charged for incitement in the first place, Senkaruna said.
“The court should not take measures against Rath Rott Mony because he was just a fixer and translator,” he said. “The court should be taking measures against Russia Today news because they produced the sex-trafficking documentary.”
