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Australian film-maker James Ricketson sentenced to six years' jail in Cambodia

Andalublue

Andalublue

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[h=1]Australian film-maker James Ricketson sentenced to six years' jail in Cambodia

Australian film-maker James Ricketson has been found guilty of espionage in Cambodia and sentenced to six years in jail.
His family say they are devastated at his conviction and sentence, and have called on the Australian government to pressure Cambodia to release him.
Ricketson, 69, said he had worked as a journalist and video documenter in the south-east Asian country since 1995 and was arrested in June 2017 for flying a drone at a political rally. He has been incarcerated since then, with the guilty verdict given this morning by a three-judge panel in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
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Very much in a similar mould to the trumped-up charges against other current detainees such as Nazanin Zagari-Ratcliffe in Iran and Pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey, James Ricketson is a pawn in a pernicious trend in international relations: judicial hostage-taking.

I don't know what the motivation of the Cambodian government is for detaining James, but I do know that he is a great film-maker, a generous and selfless humanitarian and a very, very long-standing supporter of individuals and non-political charitable organisations in Cambodia.

I worked with James on several TV projects in the 1990s and early-2000s and know him to be the very opposite of what any kind of spy would be. He doesn't inveigle himself into situation where he could garner secret information. He's a voluble, humane and tireless advocate for humanitarian causes. He has no brief for working for any kind of government or organisation hostile to Cambodia or its government, quite the opposite. He loves Cambodia and has invested time, effort and money into strictly charitable works.

It is clear if you read all reports of the trial that it was neither impartial nor fair, but the court was clearly directed to deliver a politically-mandated verdict.

Write to your political representatives; to the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs, who should be doing much more to place pressure on Cambodia; to the Cambodian government via your nearest embassy; and share the details of this case with anyone you think might take an interest in fair trials.

James is a determined, tough and resilient man, but he is 69 years old and 6 years in a Cambodian gaol could be a life-sentence.

 
As an expat who spent half his life living in the 3rd world, Ive seen plenty of instances in which various authorities have done what many in the West consider to be tyrannical, but I would never attempt to get involved in any local politics as a foreigner. I'm not saying this man's arrest was justified, what Im saying is that he shouldnt be involved in any capacity with regards to the internal politics of a country in which he is not a citizen of.
 
Andalublue said:
[h=1]Australian film-maker James Ricketson sentenced to six years' jail in Cambodia

Very much in a similar mould to the trumped-up charges against other current detainees such as Nazanin Zagari-Ratcliffe in Iran and Pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey, James Ricketson is a pawn in a pernicious trend in international relations: judicial hostage-taking.

I don't know what the motivation of the Cambodian government is for detaining James, but I do know that he is a great film-maker, a generous and selfless humanitarian and a very, very long-standing supporter of individuals and non-political charitable organisations in Cambodia.

I worked with James on several TV projects in the 1990s and early-2000s and know him to be the very opposite of what any kind of spy would be. He doesn't inveigle himself into situation where he could garner secret information. He's a voluble, humane and tireless advocate for humanitarian causes. He has no brief for working for any kind of government or organisation hostile to Cambodia or its government, quite the opposite. He loves Cambodia and has invested time, effort and money into strictly charitable works.

It is clear if you read all reports of the trial that it was neither impartial nor fair, but the court was clearly directed to deliver a politically-mandated verdict.

Write to your political representatives; to the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs, who should be doing much more to place pressure on Cambodia; to the Cambodian government via your nearest embassy; and share the details of this case with anyone you think might take an interest in fair trials.

James is a determined, tough and resilient man, but he is 69 years old and 6 years in a Cambodian gaol could be a life-sentence.

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I suppose technically he did commit espionage: "the practice of spying or of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information."

I would have figured it might be illegal to use a drone, but this definitely seem extreme.

Let's see how Australia seeks to protect its citizen in a foreign country.
 
James is a humanitarian and a filmmaker. Anyone who has been following his situation will understand that this is just beyond ludicrous. He is not a spy.

Our Government needs to do whatever is necessary to intervene. Sadly, we have just lost the best Foreign Minister our Country has ever seen thanks to the irresponsible and childish antics of our current "Leaders." Her exit is a massive loss, even more so in situations such as this. They need to get their **** together and work to get James home. Sooner rather than later.
 
Their country, their rules, regardless of how inhumane they might be.

He intentionally placed himself in harms way by making contact with a opposition party without the permission of a very paranoid and tyrannical government, and then he was caught flying a drone over a ongoing protest. (as he admitted to himself)


Really? He thought that he could just do what ever he wanted to in Cambodia?

He might be a great guy, but you can't fix stupid.

Hopefully, the Aussie government can make a deal with those tyrannical bastards to get him out.
 
PoS said:
As an expat who spent half his life living in the 3rd world, Ive seen plenty of instances in which various authorities have done what many in the West consider to be tyrannical, but I would never attempt to get involved in any local politics as a foreigner. I'm not saying this man's arrest was justified, what Im saying is that he shouldnt be involved in any capacity with regards to the internal politics of a country in which he is not a citizen of.
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Agreed. People who expect other countries to have the same laws and practices of justice are being fools. You go to another country and they will do what they will do, reminding that you are an outsider. In addition, many countries do not have the sense of equality in the sense that outsiders are just that - outsiders.

Before flying a drone he should have obtained permission, particularly in a country such as Cambodia.
 
AliHajiSheik said:
I suppose technically he did commit espionage: "the practice of spying or of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information."

I would have figured it might be illegal to use a drone, but this definitely seem extreme.
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It's not illegal to use a drone. And using a drone is not "spying or using spies". He doesn't work for a government and he didn't obtain any information i.e: he's not a spy.
 
Government-friendly media outlets named him as an "important spy" in a US-led plot to foment a "colour revolution" and overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years.

The prosecution didn't offer evidence to support the charge.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia office, said the trial "was an expose of everything that's wrong with the Cambodian judicial system: bogus and unsubstantiated charges, over a year of arbitrary pre-trial detention, prosecutors with little or no evidence, and political hacks serving as judges who rule as ordered rather than based on what happens in court. The accusations against Ricketson came amid a spate of politically-charged moves by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, which was facing perhaps the greatest threat ever to its three-decade rule. Independent media were shut down and journalists jailed, non-government organisations were ordered out of the country, and the surging opposition party was dismantled and its leader sent to a remote prison following a midnight raid on his home.

Then, last month, with almost all voices of dissent vanquished or paralysed by fear, Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party secured all 125 parliamentary seats in an election that was widely slated as a "sham".

James Ricketson: Australian filmmaker found guilty of espionage, sentenced to six years in Cambodian prison - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
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Andalublue said:
It's not illegal to use a drone. And using a drone is not "spying or using spies". He doesn't work for a government and he didn't obtain any information i.e: he's not a spy.
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General Cambodia Drone Laws
Drone use is allowed in Cambodia, but there are several drone laws that need to be followed when flying in the country. Operators must ensure that they follow the following drone laws when flying in Cambodia,
Do not fly your drone over people or large crowds
Respect others privacy when flying your drone
Do not fly your drone over airports or in areas where aircraft are operating
You must fly during daylight hours and only fly in good weather conditions
Do not fly your drone in sensitive areas including government or military facilities. Use of drones or camera drones in these areas are prohibited
Drones are banned in Phnom Penh, Angkor Park, or around any historic temples unless you have written permission


https://www.uavsystemsinternational.com/drone-laws-by-country/cambodia-drone-laws/
 
Andalublue said:
It's not illegal to use a drone. And using a drone is not "spying or using spies". He doesn't work for a government and he didn't obtain any information i.e: he's not a spy.
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The issue isn't general legality of drones but perhaps of flying over large crowds. I assume this source is reputable: https://www.uavsystemsinternational.com/drone-laws-by-country/cambodia-drone-laws/. Not really relevant as that doesn't appear to be what the film maker was charged.

A spy doesn't have to work for a government and by filming a political rally, it was gathering political information. The definition of a spy can also be "observe (someone) furtively".

Of course someone who has been to the country for such an extended series of visits and helping locals isn't there to cause harm, but in a country with such political turmoil going on, perhaps all bets are off and one should ask permission first.
 
Andalublue said:
[h=1]Australian film-maker James Ricketson sentenced to six years' jail in Cambodia

Very much in a similar mould to the trumped-up charges against other current detainees such as Nazanin Zagari-Ratcliffe in Iran and Pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey, James Ricketson is a pawn in a pernicious trend in international relations: judicial hostage-taking.

I don't know what the motivation of the Cambodian government is for detaining James, but I do know that he is a great film-maker, a generous and selfless humanitarian and a very, very long-standing supporter of individuals and non-political charitable organisations in Cambodia.

I worked with James on several TV projects in the 1990s and early-2000s and know him to be the very opposite of what any kind of spy would be. He doesn't inveigle himself into situation where he could garner secret information. He's a voluble, humane and tireless advocate for humanitarian causes. He has no brief for working for any kind of government or organisation hostile to Cambodia or its government, quite the opposite. He loves Cambodia and has invested time, effort and money into strictly charitable works.

It is clear if you read all reports of the trial that it was neither impartial nor fair, but the court was clearly directed to deliver a politically-mandated verdict.

Write to your political representatives; to the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs, who should be doing much more to place pressure on Cambodia; to the Cambodian government via your nearest embassy; and share the details of this case with anyone you think might take an interest in fair trials.

James is a determined, tough and resilient man, but he is 69 years old and 6 years in a Cambodian gaol could be a life-sentence.

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It's very risky to be a journalist in many countries around the globe. One thing I've learned many years ago is to really appreciate any story that comes out of places with repressive governments. I wish this guy well, and I hope the Aussies can pull him out of there.
 
Serenity said:
Government-friendly media outlets named him as an "important spy" in a US-led plot to foment a "colour revolution" and overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years.

The prosecution didn't offer evidence to support the charge.
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The SMH described James as 'a divisive figure'. He's nothing of the sort, but he is an outspoken one when he sees injustice. He's almost the definition of the last person likely to be employed as a spy, least of all by the US government. Taking aerial photos of a rally might be quite unwise, but in no way constitutes espionage in any country where the rule of law is respected.
 
Andalublue said:
The SMH described James as 'a divisive figure'. He's nothing of the sort, but he is an outspoken one when he sees injustice. He's almost the definition of the last person likely to be employed as a spy, least of all by the US government. Taking aerial photos of a rally might be quite unwise, but in no way constitutes espionage in any country where the rule of law is respected.
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Therein lies the problem. He's a crusader, who wants to impose the western concepts of justice and fair play into another country. I'm not saying he's wrong, but would Australians like it if a Cambodian would start to meddle in their local political affairs? I'd bet they'd probably deport him.
 
PoS said:
Therein lies the problem. He's a crusader, who wants to impose the western concepts of justice and fair play into another country. I'm not saying he's wrong, but would Australians like it if a Cambodian would start to meddle in their local political affairs? I'd bet they'd probably deport him.
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I think everyone, James included, would settle for being deported. I very much doubt Australia would do anything of the sort btw.
 
Serenity said:
James is a humanitarian and a filmmaker. Anyone who has been following his situation will understand that this is just beyond ludicrous. He is not a spy.

Our Government needs to do whatever is necessary to intervene. Sadly, we have just lost the best Foreign Minister our Country has ever seen thanks to the irresponsible and childish antics of our current "Leaders." Her exit is a massive loss, even more so in situations such as this. They need to get their **** together and work to get James home. Sooner rather than later.
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Well, Humanitarianism isn't a defense in a Third World legal system. Dictatorships see humanitarianism as a threat.
 
Andalublue said:
I think everyone, James included, would settle for being deported. I very much doubt Australia would do anything of the sort btw.
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Different countries, different modes of justice and punishments- you take your chances. In Singapore they whip people, and in Saudi Arabia they might even do worse.
 
PoS said:
Different countries, different modes of justice and punishments- you take your chances. In Singapore they whip people, and in Saudi Arabia they might even do worse.
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In Russia you might get a bullet in the back of the neck, but are you saying that whatever a country decides to do is okay and shouldn't be challenged? Remember the outcries over the whippings of Michael Fay and Raif Badawi? Was that outrage misplaced?
 
Andalublue said:
In Russia you might get a bullet in the back of the neck, but are you saying that whatever a country decides to do is okay and shouldn't be challenged? Remember the outcries over the whippings of Michael Fay and Raif Badawi? Was that outrage misplaced?
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It should be challenged by other governments, not by SJW individuals.

My experience with Aussies in Asia has been that they tend to preach a lot and it pisses local people off.

Oh, and Fay deserved his caning. He was a vandal and a delinquent.
 
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