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Newstalk ZB
February 26 2006
Ambassador to help Cleghorn
Our ambassador to Thailand is planning to go to Cambodia
to discuss Graham Cleghorn's appeal. The 55 year old New Zealander is serving
20 years in a Phnom Penh
prison for the rape of five teenage girls, but he says he is innocent. The
Cambodian court heard an appeal several weeks ago, but Mr Cleghorn was not
notified.
A Ministry of Foreign
Affairs spokesman says our ambassador to Thailand, Peter Rider, is trying
to arrange meetings with Cambodian Justice Ministry officials. The spokesman
says Mr Rider wants to find out why the appeal was heard in Mr Cleghorn's
absence, why the embassy was not informed of the appeal date and what steps
can be taken now to get a fair hearing.
The
New Zealand government has
already raised concerns with Cambodia
over how the appeal was handled. Mr Cleghorn's lawyer has said the witnesses
standing against his client had been bribed to make their claims.
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