The Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department questioned Kamarutin Suhaimi, son of Sos Kamry, Cambodia’s top Islamic cleric, following social media reports accusing him of sexually assaulting 18 female students at an Islamic school dormitory in Phnom Penh.
While an official of the department’s Quick Reaction Unit confirmed with CamboJA News that Suhaimi had been questioned, he did not share further details whether Suhaimi had been arrested.
Sos Kamry initially denied the allegations on Facebook after it went viral following a post by a Facebook account, named “Som Mengly“, on October 10. The account was deactivated four days later.
Despite the denial, Suhaimi was questioned and arrested by the National Police’s department on October 15, 2024, according to online media Fresh News. It reported that “Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutors authorized Suhaimi’s arrest”, and the police are building a case for legal proceedings. However, Suhaimi has allegedly continued to deny the allegations during questioning.
Fresh News also reported that the department identified four victims, aged 13 and 14 and two others aged 15, who were allegedly assaulted by Suhaimi.
Based on Som Mengly’s post, the abuse had been happening for years, but the issue came to light after one of the victims became pregnant.
Court spokesperson Phlang Sophal maintained that the case has not been brought to court yet.
Chiv Phally, deputy National Police and in charge Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection, and National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun did not respond.
Ministry of Women’s Affairs’ Legal Protection Department director Sar Sineth also did not respond to questions.
Sos Kamry could not be reached for comment despite several attempts to contact him by a CamboJA News reporter.
NGO rights group ADHOC president Ny Sokha commended the police, highlighting the authorities’ quick action to investigate the alleged abuse of the teenage girls. He expressed hope that the court will also take appropriate action in accordance with the law to protect the victims’ dignity.
“We do not want to see only preliminary actions […] what we want to see is procedural action in the future to prevent any leniency or acquittal,” he said, adding that it was because the suspect was related to a highly influential Islamic cleric.
Sokha also emphasized the need for proactive action by the authorities in other cases of abuse, rather than acting only when there is public outcry.
