James Ricketson: Film director jailed for six years in Cambodia after being found guilty of espionage
Jury found him guilty of spying for an unnamed country in the hopes of 'sparking a revolution'
A filmmaker has been sentenced to six years in a Cambodian prison after being found guilty of spying for an unnamed country.
Australian James Ricketson, who denies the charges, was arrested in June 2017 after flying a camera drone over a rally organised by an opposition group that was later ended by the country's increasingly authoritarian government.
The 69-year old has been a frequent visitor to Cambodia over the past two decades. His criticism of Prime Minister Hun Sen has been reported by local pro-government media who considered the director an undercover spy hoping to spark a rebellion.
Judge Seng Leang said: “The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to convict James Ricketson and sentences him to six years in prison for espionage and collecting information that is harmful to the nation between December 2010 and June 2017.”
Ricketson strenuously denies such claims. “Which country was I conducting espionage for?” Reuters reports him as asking after the verdict was delivered.
It was claimed by the prosecution that Ricketson had “damaged” the country's reputation citing emails he wrote sympathising with opposition groups.
His “devastated” family released a statement expressing outrage over the sentence: “We are in utter shock at this outcome and that James, an innocent Australian, has been sentenced so harshly. Our family lives this tragedy daily.”
It continued: “James is almost 70 and is not in good health, our family is very scared about what will happen to him in there if things take a turn for the worst.”
Ricketson's lawyer told CNN he will appeal the verdict, seeking a royal pardon.
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