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One of Cambodia's former top policemen was imprisoned for seven years Thursday for locking a woman in a cage for more than two months, in one of a series of brutality cases against him.
The female teacher was arrested in 2005 for allegedly trying to bribe court officials to release her brother, a robbery suspect. She told the court she was held for 70 days after a confession was forced out of her. The case was the second of several cases against Heng Pov, who also faces trial over the death of a woman who was tortured while in police custody and the attempted murder of a newspaper editor. "You should know that people who are arrested must be sent to the court in order to avoid breaking the law," judge Sao Meach told him. Under Cambodian law, a person can be detained for up to 72 hours before being charged in court, but suspected criminals are routinely held for much longer, despite complaints by rights groups. The woman did not indicate she had been abused while in custody, and it was not explained to the court why she had been held for so long. Her plight came to light after Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered a crackdown on corrupt court practices and dozens of cases were reviewed for irregularities. Ly Rasy, an officer with the municipal minor crimes unit who has been characterised by officials as Heng Pov's henchman in a series of crimes, including several brutal killings, was jailed for six years. Heng Pov told the court he was never given orders to send the woman to court, saying he was told the case was "out of his hands" by justice ministry officials. He was acquitted Wednesday of kidnapping for detaining South Korean and Chinese nationals and demanding money for their release. But Heng Pov faces a raft of other charges, including murder, following a purge of Phnom Penh's police force that landed several of his former allies in jail and exposed a corrupt and violent police force. Heng Pov, who is in custody, was sentenced last September to 18 years in prison in connection with the killing of a judge in Phnom Penh in 2003 and was at the centre of a bitter extradition row after fleeing Cambodia. After hiding out in Singapore and Malaysia, he was granted asylum in Finland by convincing authorities there he would be tortured and killed if he returned to Cambodia. Heng Pov, who was sacked as chief of police in the capital Phnom Penh in early 2006, had threatened to link senior officials to several assassinations and other crimes that occurred in recent years. Several officers serving under the ex-chief have been arrested for crimes committed during his tenure, including the murder of a young woman in 2004 who died after being beaten and tortured while in police custody for allegedly stealing a piece of gold jewellery. Heng Pov had been expected to be tried for her death Thursday, and it was not explained why the cases against him were changed. He is also scheduled to go on trial next month for his alleged role in the attempted murder of a Cambodian newspaper editor.
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