Cambodian Appeals Court upholds ex-governor's conviction for shooting 3 garment workers
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Cambodia's Appeals Court has upheld the conviction of a former politician who shot and wounded three garment workers in 2012.
Chhouk Bandith, former governor of Bavet town in southeastern Cambodia, has been on the run for months. A provincial court convicted him in absentia in June for the shooting at a factory protest.
Monday's ruling upheld Bandith's 18-month prison sentence for causing "unintentional injury." Judge Taing Sun Lay renewed calls for police to track him down.
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Human rights groups say the failure to arrest Bandith and the light sentence demonstrate a culture of impunity for Cambodia's political elite.
Bandith's June conviction followed more than a year of stalling after the February 2012 attack, with charges dropped at one point only to be restored amid an outcry from rights groups.