Phnom Penh: A Cambodian court sentenced a frank opposition politician to four years in prison for incitement on Monday, May 5, he told journalists, preventing him from voting and holding his duties.
The adviser to the Power Party Nation, Rong Chhun, said that he was found guilty of incitement to cause serious social troubles – an accusation from the Cambodian authorities frequently deploy against activists.
The case was brought against him last year after having met with disputes and commented on the visit of Prime Minister Hun Manet in the border area with Vietnam.
Apart from Phnom Penh Penh Court, Rong Chhun told journalists that he would appeal against the “politically motivated” verdict that he described as “beyond wrong”. It was not clear if it would be immediately arrested.
“My message is that leaders must stop using the legal system to suppress politicians,” he said.
He said that the case “reflects our Cambodia has no complete democracy and that anyone has a dissident voice that has the popularity and support of the people is always deleted and ousted from the political scene”.
Rong Chhun was already arrested in 2020 after accused the Cambodian government of “irregularities” in the demarcation of the country's eastern border with Vietnam.
He was sentenced to two years in prison in August 2021, but was released three months later by a court of appeal, the sentence remaining suspended for three years.
