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December
23 2006 Summary of TV Documentary
Gordon Brown
provides a quick summary …."There was lots of for and against, and it was
hard to know who was telling the truth, although a one-day trial without any
cross-examination didn't seem all that fair"
2006-1223 -
Daily News - 'Tis the season for sympathy
December
18 2006 Concerns over human rights
breaches in prison
Cleghorn is
pleading with the NZ Government for former Governor-General Dame Silva
Cartwright to visit him in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar jail, which he says breaches
international human rights laws.
2006-1218
- Waikato Times - Cleghorn plea to Govt
2006-1218
- Dominion Post - Cleghorn plea over rights violations
2006-1218 -
Southland Times - PM's help sought in Cambodia
December
12 2006 Promotion for TV Documentary
In this
documentary, director/reporter Ingrid Leary travels to Cambodia to
see if she can uncover the truth about why Cleghorn and his wife claim they
were set up, and whether they have been treated fairly by the Cambodian
justice system. The documentary includes exclusive interviews with Cleghorn,
his wife, the judge in the case, Cleghorn's lawyers and supporters, the girls
who say he raped them and staff at the women's refuge that sheltered the
girls and arranged their testimony
2006-1212
- Dominion Post - Cause celebre in Cambodia
December
7 2006; Appeal delayed again
The appeal was
again adjourned. His accusers, their
lawyer and representatives of the CWCC failed to appear. Cambodian Appeals Court
judge Saly Theara told the court that he did not feel able to hold the
hearing without representatives from both sides present. The case was
adjourned until a date yet to be announced in January.
Rudolf
Knuchel notes that this is the third appeal adjourned for unusual
reasons. In this appeal people from the Phnom Penh CWCC were present,
dismissing the claim that the CWCC were not aware of the date.
Executive Director of Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre (CWCC) Oung
Chanthol said they didn't go because "because the court did not
send a notice to us, our lawyers, the police, or the victims.
Cleghorn's Cambodian lawyer, Ry Ouk, says the women should have
been subpoenaed and his client is very disappointed that the case did not go
ahead.
Graham
Cleghorn said "I have been in jail three years waiting for
today. I want to speak but they will not let me... I want my day in court. I
want to put my case," His
daughter, Heidi Madeley, said the delay is frustrating.
2006-1207 -
Radio NZ - Cambodian case adjourned after witnesses did not show up
2006-1207 -
Raw Story - New Zealander's Cambodian appeal adjourned
2006-1208
- Southland Times - Appeal delayed in Cambodian rape
2006-1208
- Rudolph Knuchel - Graham Cleghorn Appeal Postponed
2006-1208 - Radio
Live - Delay for jailed Kiwi in Cambodia
2006-1208 -
NZ Herald - Cleghorn rape conviction appeal adjourned
2006-1208
- Dominion Post - Cleghorn case delayed
December
2 2006; Spirits lifted with appeal date set
Graham Cleghorn
buoyed by news he will finally have a chance to clear his name. His daughter,
Heidi
Madeley, said her father's spirits had been lifted after he was told
by his lawyer that an appeal had been scheduled. He maintains his innocence
and claims he has been framed by corrupt officials who want his land on the
edge of the Angkor Wat temple complex. "It's great news, but I only hope
the judges haven't already been bribed and the appeal is a foregone
conclusion," Ms Madeley said.
Bangkok-based New
Zealand consul Lyndal Walker will
attend the appeal.
2006-1202
- Radio NZ - Appeal scheduled in Cleghorn case
2006-1202 -
Dominion Post - 'Great news' for jailed Kiwi's family
2006-1203
- Newswire - Appeal Scheduled In Cleghorn Case
November
30 2006; Cleghorn granted appeal
Graham Cleghorn
has been granted an appeal, scheduled for December 7. Cleghorn's Wellington lawyer, Greg
King, said he was pleased that the appeal would take place. Cleghorn, 60,
claims he is innocent of rape and has accused the Cambodian women's Crisis
Center of using extortion to have foreigners jailed for sexually abusing
young girls.
2006-1130
- Manawatu Standard - Kiwi gets rape appeal
2006-1130
- Dominion Post - Cleghorn gets appeal
2006-1130 - Stuff
- Kiwi rapist granted appeal in Cambodia
2006-1130 - The
Press - Kiwi able to appeal
September
29 2006; Three accusers retract their allegations, take case against the CWCC
Three Cambodian
mothers Hean Teun (Han Tun), 41, Laem San (Soeum Sam), 49, and Phel Pen (Pel
Phean) have claimed their children were kidnapped and falsely
imprisoned by the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre in a bid to make them admit
they had been sexually abused by Graham Cleghorn. When they managed to
escape, the girls were recaptured and returned forcibly to the locked room by
CWCC staff.
In a similar case against Bart Lauwaert complainants retracted their
allegations claiming the CWCC had groomed them to lie with offers of $5,000
each
New Zealand
lawyer Greg King said Cleghorn was buoyed by the development.
"We're counting on this to reinforce the factual basis of Graham's case
and we hope to see a lot more uncovered,"
CWCC director Oung Chanthol said the complaint would not have happened
without some people at the back who are pushing poor people.
The chief prosecutor for the northern provincial court of Siem Reap, So
Vat said "The court will investigate these claims because it is
our job. However, this has been a very long road. They waited a long time to
make these complaints. I wonder if outside forces are not encouraging them
now,"
2006-0929 -
Bangkok Post - Mothers sue Khmer NGO for kidnapping
2006-1002
- Southland Times - Hope for jailed New Zealander
2006-1002
- Dominion Post - Cleghorn buoyed by legal move
2006-1002
- Cambodia Daily - Mothers Claim NGO Detained 3 Daughters
2006-1002 -
The Press - Kiwi's accusers recant rape claims
July
7 2007; Graham Cleghorn's appeal adjourned
A new appeal,
scheduled for July 10 has been adjourned, due to the withdrawal of Cleghorn's
lawyer from the case. It will be Cleghorn's fourth attempt to have an appeal
heard. Earlier this year a hearing was held, but he was not informed of it
until afterwards.This latest appeal was granted only after the New Zealand
ambassador intervened
2006-0710
- Dominion Post - Kiwi's appeal adjourned
2006-0707 -
Newstalk ZB - Cleghorn has appeal adjourned
July 2006; Bronwyn Sloan talks about abuse allegations in
Cambodia
A journalist
reports meeting Graham Cleghorn a year before
he was arrested, He claimed then that child protection groups were operating with
impunity, taking advantage of an unassailable cause and a free reign from
donors anxious to earn headlines to justify their expenditure. He said one
group had singled him out as a child molester, and now it was trying to
manufacture evidence to make the theory fit. He urged me to investigate
She reports interviewing a girl who had been abducted by a non-government
organization without her mother's consent, held against her will in a center
and told that the group already knew she had been abused by Cleghorn, that
others had already confessed, that she should confess, that she would not see
her mother again unless she told the truth.
Bronwyn Sloan describes in detail disturbing practices in the investigation
and prosecution of suspected sex offenders in Cambodia by groups such as the
CWCC that make miscarriages of justice an inevitability, and also
unfortunately provide doubt in cases where a conviction is actually
warranted.
2006-0700 -
Tales of Asia - Phnom Penh Perspective: Child Abuse
June
24 2006; Judge Tan Senarong denies interest in the Cleghorn case
Judge responds to
allegations that he colluded with his sister, a prominent CWCC member, to put
Cleghorn in prison so that Cleghorn could be blackmailed for his land near
Angkor Wat. He says that he did not
preside over the original trial, has no knowledge of land matters involving
Graham Cleghorn, and has never discussed the case with his sister
2006-0624
- Phnom Penh Post - Judge Tan Senarong
June
23 2007; Media criticised for shabby journalism
Lynley Hood criticises media that are
presenting only one side of the story in the Graham Cleghorn case. If the
Women's crisis centre is the source of stories, journalists should be aware
that the CWCC needs close scrutiny itself. In another press release Dr Hood
accuse media of shabby journalism. For example there has never been any
suggestion that any of the five complainants in the Cleghorn case were under
the age of consent, and yet many New Zealand media persist in
describing him, incorrectly, as a pedophile
2006-0623 -
Dominion Post - Centre needs more scrutiny
2006-0623 - Scoop -
Author Slams Shabby Journalism
June
21 2007; NZ lawyer requests funding for Cleghorn; New lawyer appointed
Greg King
suspects the timing of Cleghorn's appeal was deliberate, with his former
lawyer having left out of frustration with the Cambodian justice system. Greg
King plans to ask the New Zealand Government for money to fund his appeal.
Otago University-trained Cambodian lawyer Ock Ry has since been hired to
represent Cleghorn.
2006-0621 - One
News - Cambodian lawyer quits Cleghorn case
2006-0621 - NZ
Herald - Convicted rapist's lawyer to ask NZ government for cash
2006-0621 - Stuff
- Cambodian prisoner's lawyer to ask Govt for cash
2006-0621 -
National Radio - Legal Representation for NZ Man
2006-0621 -
Dominion Post - Cleghorn lawyer opts out
June
20 2007; New Appeal Date set for Graham Cleghorn
A new appeal date
for a New Zealand man
serving 20 years in a Cambodian jail for rape has been set down for July 10
after the New Zealand
ambassador intervened in the case, his former lawyer Dy Borima said. Graham Cleghorn remained pessimistic about
his chances, citing Cambodia's
infamously endemic corruption and a reluctance by officials to go up against
a powerful and well- funded organisation like the CWCC, which he said
attracts millions of dollars in international donations each year.
2006-0620 -
Timaru Herald - New appeal date for NZ man: report
2006-0620 -
Waikato Times - Cambodia rape case appeal
2006-0619 - One
News - Appeal date for NZ man in Cambodia
June
16 2006; Cleghorn despair; Reasons for lawyer's resignation
Graham Cleghorn
says he has no chance of a fair trial in Cambodia. He believes this was
why his Cambodian lawyer, Dy Borima, resigned from his case.. Borima said
that he resigned because he believed Cleghorn needed "someone
stronger".
2006-0616
- Bangkok Post - Kiwi despairs of fair Cambodia trial
June
14 2006; Australia are to investigate Women's Crisis Centre
Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison told the Australian newspaper:
"The girls in this case had recanted their allegations... and we could
not secure assurances from the Cambodians that Betteridge be allowed a
retrial and given an opportunity to offer a defence." He said he had
asked his department to investigate the women's crisis centre to see if it
received funding from Australia.
2006-0614 - NZ
Herald - Inquiry into Cambodian centre after rape claims
2006-0614 -
Dominion Post - Boost for jailed Kiwi
June
10 2006; Cleghorn's lawyer resigns from case
Dy Borima, lawyer
for the Australians who lost their appeal, resigned as lawyer for Graham
Cleghorn "just hours" after the failed appeal. He had earlier claimed that the appeal
result was an injustice.
2006-0616
- Bangkok Post - Kiwi despairs of fair Cambodia trial
June
10 2006; Australian Government concerned about natural justice in Cambodia
The Australian
Government, waiting for the Appeal Court decision before making a decision on
Clint Betteridge, released him rather than sending him back to Cambodia amid
fears he would be denied natural justice there They are concerned that a retrial was
refused despite the recanting of his accuser's original testimony Despite
Betteridge's accusers.
2006-0610
- Source Unknown - 'Pedophile' extradition halted
June
9 2006; Appeal Court sets a concerning precedent
The Cambodian
Appeals Court upheld a conviction against Australian Bart Lauwaert, despite
nine of 10 witnesses withdrawing their complaints against him. Presiding
Judge Saly Theara said on Friday that Lauwaert's appeal had failed because
forensic evidence presented at the lower court trial pointed to his guilt.
Lawyer Dy Borima said that the ruling was unjust.
The families of Lauwaert, Clint Betteridge and also Graham Cleghorn claimed
that the Cambodian Women's Crisis Center engineered Lauwaert's conviction.
They also claimed that police and CWCC staff harassed a witness who retracted
her testimony against Lauwaert.
CWCC Executive Director Chanthol Oung, whose organisation has been called into question regarding several
convictions, claimed that campaigners are actively trying to protect
pedophiles.
2006-0609
- Lotus Outreach - 20-year Jail Term Upheld
2006-0609
- Thanhnien News - Australians lose appeal in Cambodian sex case
2006-0609
- National Nine News - Australians lose appeal on rape charges
June
9 2006; Call for investigation of Women's Crisis Centre
The family of Australian Bart Lauwaert, rallied to his defense Thursday on
the eve of the Appeals Court
decision. Lauwaert’s mother, Laura Van den Eynde, wrote that it was
impossible for her son to receive a fair trial in 2002, and called for an
investigation of the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center which helped convict
him.
2006-0609
- Cambodia Daily - Lauwaert’s Mother: Justice was impossible in 2002
June
6 2006; Accusations by and against the Women's Crisis Centre
A press release
by the CWCC makes claims of false testimony, lack of participation by lawyers
in appeal of Lauwaert. They call for an investigation of why the complainants
retracted their allegations. In response the families of Australians Lauwaert
and Betteridge, and New Zealander Cleghorn attacked the methods of the CWCC
2006-0606 -
Cambodian Women's Crisis Center - Press Release
2006-0609 - Cambodian
Prisoner Crisis Center - Madness in their methods
June
3 2006; Accusations against Cleghorn
Keri Welham of
the Dominion Post reports "records" that complainants in Cleghorn
case were pressured to withdraw their statements; and that Cleghorn's wife
was aware Cleghorn had slept with the girls. The source of the allegations
was not provided, which appear to have been sourced from the CWCC.
2006-0603
- Dominion Post - Sex-case Kiwi's background comes to light
June
1 2006; Australian Embassy Summary of Lauwaert case proceedings
The Australian
Embassy provided a summary of the court proceedings associated with the
appeal hearing for Bart Laewaert. Comments
on this summary are provided by Rudolph Knuchel who was also present,
concerned that the Embassy summary omitted or overlooked several important
points.
2006-0601
- Australian Embassy - Summary of Court Proceedings
2006-0606 -
Rudolf Knuchel - Comments on Australian Embassy Summary of Court Proceedings
June
1 2006; Accusers recant in similar case to Cleghorn; Also accuse CWCC
Six Cambodian
girls whose testimony put an Australian in jail for 20 years on rape and
sexual abuse charges have changed their story and asked an appeal court to
free him. They have accused the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre of persuading
them to testify that Bart Lauwaert hired them as maids, then raped and abused
them sexually. As Cleghorn claimed in his case, the girls in the Lauwaert
case say the crisis centre convinced them to lie to get money out of the
39-year-old Australian.
2006-0601 -
ABC News - Girls change story in Australian rape case
2006-0601
- Herald Sun - Victims recant against Aussie abuser
2006-0601
- Mainichi Daily News - Cambodian girls accuse women's group of coercing rape
testimony
2006-0602 -
China Post - Court opens appeal hearings for a convicted pedophile
March
11 2006; Internet Blog calls case a "farce"
"Seems he's
going to get his case re-opened and be allowed a proper appeal with himself
and an attorney present (which you think would have been a given the first
time but welcome to the Cambodia
justice system), and perhaps get to cross-examine the witnesses that
testified against him"
2006-0311
- Tales of Asia - Graham Cleghorn
March
9 2006; Cambodian Justice Minister indicates will grant re-appeal
Cambodia's
Justice Minister has indicated that New Zealander Graham Cleghorn might get a
chance to re-appeal his child rape conviction and 20-year jail sentence. Ang Vong Vathana said yesterday that he
would almost certainly grant a re-appeal if approached by Cleghorn's lawyer.
The concession was made just hours before New
Zealand's Thailand-based ambassador Peter Rider flew
into the capital, Phnom Penh,
to further investigate Cleghorn's plight
2006-0309
- NZ Herald - Cleghorn appeal to be reheard, says Minister
2006-0309
- Dominion Post - Cleghorn may get chance for rehearing
2006-0310 -
Stuff - Convicted NZ rapist to get rehearing
2006-0310 - One
News - Decision on Cleghorn appeal wanted
2006-0310
- NZ Herald - Ambassador to push for paedophile appeal in Cambodia
2006-0310
- Dominion Post - Cambodia considers Cleghorn appeal
March
8 2006; NZ TV Closeup covers the case
NZer Graham Cleghorn
has been locked up in a Cambodian jail for the rape of five teenage girls,
part of a 20 year sentence. But he says he’s innocent. He claims to be the
victim of a set-up by a women’s crisis organisation. Now there have been
questions from day one about how this case has been handled in Cambodia.
Mysteriously, Cleghorn’s appeal was heard several weeks ago, yet, he was
never told it was even on. Today, New Zealand’s
Ambassador in Thailand,
Peter Rider, is travelling to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh demanding answers and a fair
hearing. So what is going on?
2006-0308 -
Closeup - Transcript, Graham Cleghorn
 
Dy Borima (left), lawyer for Graham Cleghorn:
"All the girls were promised by CWCC $US10,000 each if they filed a
complaint against foreigners". Ms Chanthol, CWCC (right): We
never pay for anyone - apart we pay for accommodation for victims if
necessary
March
7 2006; Claims of Corruption by Cambodian Crisis Centre
Graham Cleghorn has claimed a corrupt judge
persuaded his sister, head of the women's centre, to offer teenage girls
US$10,000 to press rape charges against him.
A New
Zealand child advocate Denise
Ritchie has questioned whether the centre would have the financial
means for bribes.
Cleghorn says the more people that are arrested for sex offences
the more overseas funding the CWCC can get. He says he wants the CWCC
investigated
The centre's executive director, Oung Chanthol, said she
would welcome any officials or police who might want to investigate her
organisation for evidence of corruption. "We fight corruption.
Wellington lawyer Greg King said the
women's crisis centre was a "desperate organisation" with little
credibility and he was not surprised by its "outrageous"
allegations. "All we are asking for is due process. We don't want a
trial by media. We want a trial by law – that is what he has to date been
denied."
2006-0307
- NZ Herald - Ambassador looking into convicted rapist's case
2006-0308 -
Dominion Post - NZ envoy to visit Cleghorn in jail
2006-0308 -
TVNZ - Kiwi in Cambodia claims innocence
March
7 2006; Ambassador seeks meeting with Cambodian Justice Minister
The NZ Ambassador
in Thailand is to seek a
meeting with the Cambodian Justice Minister over convicted New Zealand
rapist Graham Cleghorn's case. Peter Rider, goes to Cambodia
tomorrow. He will also try to see Cleghorn and his lawyer. Mr Rider hopes to
raise include the fact that Cleghorn's appeal was held in his absence.
Foreign Affairs staff are trying to find out whether it is possible to have
the appeal reheard.
2006-0307 -
Waikato Times - Rape case meeting
2006-0307
- NZ Herald - Ambassador looking into convicted rapist's case
March
6 2006; Graham Cleghorn pleads for NZ to get him a fair hearing
"All I am
asking for is two things; a fair trial where my witnesses can be heard; and
for the New Zealand Government to request an independent investigation into
the Cambodian Women's Crisis Center which brought the charges against
me," Cleghorn said
2006-0306
- Taranaki Daily News - Kiwi pleads for fair trial
2006-0306
- Dominion Post - 'If NZ can't help me, I would want to die' - Cleghorn
March
6 2006; Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre hit back
 Convicted New Zealand rapist
Graham Cleghorn filled his home with young girls, says the Cambodian group accused
of bribing teenagers to falsely testify against him. It claims Cleghorn and
his wife procured girls from poor villagers to live with them as house
servants. It said some of the 10 servants were made to massage Cleghorn at
night and five testified that he raped them.
Cleghorn's daughter Mrs Madeley claimed she had visited the complainants'
village and four of them had wanted to retract their evidence. The girls
lived with Cleghorn as employees of his shrimp farm. Many families were
counting on an alleged US$10,000 bribe from the centre to buy their way out
of poverty. The organisation denied using bribery in its work
2006-0306
- Dominion Post - Home 'filled with girls'
2006-0306
- Southland Times - Accusers of jailed Kiwi hit back
2006-0306 - NZ
Herald - Cleghorn's Cambodia home 'filled with girls'
February
27; Next appeal may be months away
Cleghorn may have
months to wait before another appeal can be heard. New
Zealand ambassador to Thailand Peter Rider said he was
interested in due process and that Mr Cleghorn got a fair hearing, but he was
aware that it might take some time to get through the judicial system.
Cleghorn's daughter Heidi Madeley said her father had
been in prison for two and a half years and she felt the Government had
abandoned his case.
2006-0227 - The
Press - Long wait for Cambodia conviction appeal
2006-0227 - Stuff
- Jailed NZer abandoned by Govt - daughter
2006-0227 -
One News - Answers wanted in Cleghorn case
2006-0227 - NZ
Herald - Jailed New Zealander may have to wait months for Cambodia appeal
February
26 2006; NZ Ambassador going to Cambodia
 NZ Ambassador to Thailand
is planning to go to Cambodia
to discuss Graham Cleghorn's appeal. 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 at
the way Cleghorn's trial was handled. It took only nine hours, he was refused
a translator, and denied the right to call his own witnesses and
cross-examine prosecution witnesses
2006-0226 -
Stuff - NZ ambassador to discuss jailed Kiwi's case in Cambodia
2006-0226 -
NZ Herald - NZ ambassador to discuss Cleghorn's case in Cambodia
2006-0226
- Newstalk ZB - Ambassador to help Cleghorn
February
25 2006; Dominion Post feature article on Cleghorn case
History of the
case; Heidi Madeley says land is the reason behind the rape accusations.
Cleghorn maintains Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge Tan Senarong wanted his
land and allegedly enlisted his sister, head of the Siem Reap branch of the
Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre child protection group, to bribe five teenage
girls to press rape charges against him. Mrs Madeley says corruption is so
deep-seated in Cambodia that no official would admit to faults in the
judicial processes surrounding Cleghorn's case, as it would "send shockwaves
all the way to the top"
New Zealand has raised concerns with Cambodian authorities about the case. Otago University
international law expert Associate Professor Kevin Dawkins says if
the diplomatic requests that are under way fail, New
Zealand can instigate proceedings against Cambodia in the International Court of
Justice, in The Hague.
He says Cleghorn's trial and subsequent appeal seemed "primitive and
cynical" and breached basic levels of international law.
Denise
Ritchie, founder of New Zealand-based child rights group Stop Demand,
says Cambodia
is seen as a top destination for foreign child sex offenders, because of
relaxed enforcement and penalties. Though she agrees Cleghorn deserves a fair
go, she says it does not mean he is innocent of the rape charges
2006-0225
- Dominion Post - Living hell in a Cambodian cell
February
23 2006; Cleghorn's daughter begs for assistance
Graham
Cleghorn and his daughter Heidi Madeley
The daughter of jailed Kiwi Graham Cleghorn is calling on New Zealand
politicians to step in to save her seriously ill father, who she believes
will be dead within months as he "rots" in his squalid Cambodian
prison cell. Heidi Madeley, last visited her father in August and said he was
so ill and emaciated she did not recognise him. "He's lost a lot of
weight. He's lost most of his teeth because of the prison diet. What little
food he does get he can't chew. He's getting sicker and sicker by the minute."
2006-0223 -
Dominion Post - Save my dad, daughter begs Kiwi politicians
2006-0223 -
NZ Herald - Daughter fears for imprisoned father's life
February
22 2006; Lawyer calls for action by NZ politicians
Greg
King
The lawyer for a New Zealand
man serving 20 years in a Cambodian prison says New Zealand politicians should be
speaking out about his client's right to a fair trial. Graham Cleghorn's lawyer
Greg King says Cleghorn had a farcical trial. He says Cleghorn was set up and
his recent appeal breached all known human rights
2006-0222 -
One News - Call for action over jailed Kiwi's trial
February
21 2006; Claim that Cleghorn is a victim of a "sex sting"
In October 2002,
Swiss hotelier Rudolf Knuchel successfully defended molestation charges
brought against him by the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre -- the same
organisation alleged to have offered five Cambodian girls US$10,000 to accuse
Cleghorn of rape. .......Mr Knuchel said he was targeted by the crisis centre
because he was a landowner. Cleghorn also insists he was punished by corrupt
officials who wanted his land. .......He said the district court judge who
had been instrumental in bringing charges against him and Cleghorn had been
dismissed for corruption several months ago
2006-0221
- Dominion Post - Kiwi 'victim of copycat sex sting'
2006-0222 - NZ
Herald - Sex scam puts Kiwi's conviction in doubt
February
19 2006; Officials seek clarification of Cleghorn's status.
It has now come
to light that an unsuccessful appeal against his sentence was held in secret
last month without his lawyer or New Zealand officials knowing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it wants answers from its Cambodian
counterparts
Paul
Buchanan, an international relations expert at Auckland University,
says the best thing New Zealand can do is seek clarification of Cleghorn's
status but he says the Government has to be careful it is not putting
diplomatic pressure on the Cambodian government
Amnesty International says it is time for intervention into the way Cambodia's
legal system operates. The New
Zealand branch says it is deeply concerned
about the way 55-year-old Mr Cleghorn was treated during his trial. Amnesty
chief Ced Simpson is not surprised though
2006-0219 -
Newstalk ZB - NZ must seek clarification of man's status
2006-0220
- Newstalk ZB - Officials seek clarification on jailed NZer
February
19 2006; Concern for health of Graham Cleghorn
Concerns that
Cleghorn may die in jail unless action is taken to free him. His Wellington lawyer, Greg
King, said conditions in the prison were horrendous and prisoners did not
receive enough food to survive, so were largely dependent on family and
friends to bring food
2006-0219 -
Sunday Star Times - Cambodian jail 'will kill Kiwi inmate'
February
18 2006; Evidence now emerged that complainants were lying
Graham Cleghorn
maintains he was framed by corrupt Cambodian officials. Greg King, lawyer for
Graham Cleghorn said his client was a victim of a non-government
organisation, the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre, which was seeking millions
of dollars of foreign funding that had been poured into Southeast
Asia to stop child prostitution with Western men.
King says evidence has now emerged proving the five teenaged girls who made
sex allegations against Mr Cleghorn were lying. A number of young girls from
the village where Graham Cleghorn lived were kidnapped and were detained for
15 days and were told they would only be released if they made allegations
against him," He says the five
girls were offered $US10,000 to lie by someone Cleghorn was in a land dispute
with. But the Cleghorns want to present new evidence - other women from the
village who were made the same offer to lie say they know the victims are
lying too. The complainants have now retracted their evidence.
2006-0218
- Newstalk ZB - Sex allegations 'made up'
2006-0218 -
One News - Foreign affairs to help jailed NZ man
2006-0218
- Dominion Post - Girls take back rape allegations
2006-0218 -
The Press - NZ intervenes for Kiwi jailed in Cambodia
February
18 2006; Appeal held without Cleghorn's knowledge
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFat) says it has only just discovered an appeal for Cleghorn's case
was heard in January, without his knowledge.
The New Zealand
Ambassador to Bangkok,
Peter Rider, has expressed serious concerns about the legal process
to Cambodian authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had concerns from
the start when Cleghorn's original trial lasted only nine hours and his
Cambodian lawyer didn't say a word. King has called the trial process
"an absolute sham". Peter Rider has now met with Cambodian
officials to raise concerns about the case.
Wellington
lawyer Greg King, who represents Cleghorn, says there was strong
evidence for his appeal. He says his client was pinning his hopes on an
appeal and is devastated by the news. He says the legal process in Cambodia has
completely failed Graham Cleghorn. The ministry is awaiting a response, but
if that fails, King says he will take the case to the United Nations.
2006-0218 -
Radio NZ - NZer jailed in Cambodia devastated at missing his own appeal
2006-0218 -
One News - Foreign affairs to help jailed NZ man
2006-0218 -
One News - Concern for Kiwi prisoner in Cambodia
2006-0218 -
The Press - NZ intervenes for Kiwi jailed in Cambodia
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