A Cambodian court convicted prominent opposition figure Rong Chhun on an incitement charge Monday and sentenced him to four years in prison and permanently barred him from voting or running for office in the latest ruling to target a critic of the government.
Rong Chhun, who was also fined 4 million riel ($1,000), said the verdict was politically motivated. He attended Monday’s hearing at the Phnom Penh Court but was not taken into custody as the court has yet to issue an order for his arrest.
“When we look at it, it’s not a matter of law enforcement at all – it’s more political. Both national and international opinions evaluate it as politically motivated,” Rong Chhun told Radio Free Asia.
“I believe that if we continue down this path, it will only harm national interests and the people’s benefit. It’s not beneficial at all. We should all focus more on democratic principles and compete through elections. That’s the better path,” he said.
Longtime authoritarian ruler Hun Sen handed power to his son, Hun Manet, who became prime minister in 2023, but pressure has not eased up on critics of the government. Rights groups say opposition party members have been subject to unjustified prosecutions, and a once-thriving independent media have been all but demolished.
The Phnom Penh Court convicted Rong Chhun, who rose to prominence as a labor leader, on a charge of “incitement causing serious unrest to social security” due to comments he made about the demarcation of the Cambodia-Vietnam border – a deeply sensitive topic in Cambodia.
The prosecution presented as evidence an interview he gave with RFA Khmer which mentioned Hun Manet’s inspection of border markers in August 2024; Rong Chhun’s visits to communities facing land disputes including over a new international airport; and his role in launching an office for the opposition National Power Party.
His lawyer Chuong Chou Ngy said the court had stripped Rong Chhun of his civil rights to run for election or vote for the rest of his life, and he was considering an appeal.
“The court has not issued a decision related to an arrest. He (Rong Chhun) can still act normally and retain his right to appeal,” he said.
Rong Chhun has served prison time before.
In 2021, he was sentenced to two years for accusing the government of conceding land to Vietnam and served 15 months. He was also ordered to pay 400 million riel ($100,000) compensation to the Joint Border Affairs Committee. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court last month ordered Rong Chhun to sell his house to pay it.
Yi Soksan, a senior official with the Cambodian human rights group Adhoc that monitored the court proceedings, said that forcing Rong Chhun to sell his home and banning him from politics for life was inhumane. He added that this situation will further erode international perceptions of Cambodia’s commitment to democracy and freedom.
“We’ve seen in the past how the arrest of political figures and civil society workers affected international relations,” he said, referencing actions by the European Union and the United States to withdraw trade benefits from Cambodia.
“That’s why the government should reconsider its actions,” he said.
Despite repeated legal actions against him, Rong Chhun has urged supporters of the opposition National Power Party, which he advises, not to lose hope and to remain strong in preparation for national elections in 2027 and 2028.
Edited by Mat Pennington.
