{"id":3451,"date":"2026-06-19T08:33:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3451"},"modified":"2026-06-19T08:33:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:33:53","slug":"cambodian-supreme-court-upholds-incitement-conviction-of-opposition-politician-sparking-anger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3451","title":{"rendered":"Cambodian Supreme Court upholds incitement conviction of opposition politician, sparking anger"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) \u2014 Cambodia\u2019s Supreme Court on Friday upheld the incitement conviction of a prominent opposition politician while suspending the remainder of his sentence, keeping him out of prison but unable to practice politics for years and renewing questions about the government\u2019s efforts to quash criticism.<\/p>\n

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The decision against Rong Chhun, a top adviser to the Nation Power Party, was met with anger by some 300 supporters from around the country who had gathered outside the Supreme Court complex in Phnom Penh. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven though he is not in prison, I\u2019m saddened that his freedom has been restricted and he has become a sub-citizen, meaning he has no right to vote or participate in politics,\u201d said Nek Ratha, a 55-year-old from the capital. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe verdict is hard for us to accept because he is not free, and he has done nothing wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 56-year-old had been found guilty last year of inciting social unrest after meeting with villagers displaced by government construction projects, in what was widely seen as one of many legal moves taken by the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet to stifle criticism. <\/p>\n

Rong Chhun told his supporters the verdict was \u201ccompletely unfair\u201d and accused the court of following orders of the government rather than the rule of law.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the powerful leader wants black, the court will paint it black for them,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if the powerful wants white, the court will paint it white for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the ruling demonstrates Cambodia\u2019s courts \u201clack of independence from the ruling party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHun Manet\u2019s government should stop using the courts to silence the political opposition and instead reopen space for parties and civil society groups to operate freely ahead of next year\u2019s election,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

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Cambodia\u2019s Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra told The Associated Press that it was \u201cnot appropriate to characterize a judicial decision as an executive decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Royal Government respects the separation of powers, the independence of the courts, and the rule of law,\u201d he said in a written response to a query. \u201cAny party who disagrees with a court ruling should address the matter through the legal remedies available under Cambodian law, rather than through political assumptions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under almost four decades of autocratic former Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia was widely criticized for human rights abuses that included suppression of freedom of speech and association. He was succeeded in August 2023 by his American-educated son, Hun Manet, but there have been few signs of political liberalization.<\/p>\n

Sophal Ear, a Cambodian political scientist in the U.S., called the decision against Rong Chhun \u201cevidence of continuity rather than change under the transition from Hun Sen to Hun Manet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA high-profile case like this inevitably becomes a test of how much political space exists under the current leadership and whether the transition has produced any meaningful changes in governance,\u201d he said. \u201cMany people will conclude that the leadership transition has so far produced more continuity than reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the decision, Rong Chhun will be prohibited from any involvement in politics for five years, including voting or standing as a candidate, and will be banned from traveling abroad for three years, the remainder of his original four-year sentence, his attorney Em Chantha told reporters. He had also been free while his appeal was pending.<\/p>\n

Supreme Court decisions are final, but Rong Chhun said he and his attorney would study the verdict in detail to decide whether there would be a chance to ask Cambodia\u2019s King Norodom Sihamoni for a pardon. <\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press reporter Anton L. Delgado contributed to this report from Bangkok. <\/p>\n

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