A New Zealander has been arrested in Cambodia for demonstrating in support of two men convicted of murder.
Cambodian police detained eight Westerners on Tuesday for protesting for the release of two men whom human rights campaigners say were framed for the 2004 murder of a prominent union leader.
Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naruth said the group - three Americans, two Canadians, one New Zealander, one Briton and one Dane - had been arrested for "protesting illegally". He did not give their names.
"We are asking them to write statements saying they will not repeat this in the future. If they do not agree to give such statements, along with their signatures, they will be deported," he told Reuters.
The eight were arrested as they attempted to drive a truck emblazoned with pictures of the convicted pair, Born Samnang and Sok Samoeun, past the venue of Cambodia's annual meeting of international donors.
The two men were sentenced in August 2005 to 20 years in jail for the murder of Chea Vichea, president of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of Cambodia (FTUWKC), who was shot dead in January 2004 in central Phnom Penh.
The United Nations has described the convictions, which the two men say were a result of beaten confessions, as a "grave injustice". Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both say they were framed for the murder.
A key witness who has submitted testimony to the court affirming that neither man as present at the shooting is now thought to be living abroad for her own safety.
