Cambodian courts have convicted prominent opposition politicians of inciting them in their latest legal move to curb Prime Minister Hun Mane’s criticism of the government and sentenced him to four years in prison.
Longchen, the top advisor to the newly formed Nation Power Party, has been found guilty of inciting social unrest related to his political activities, in meetings with villagers who have been evacuated to government construction projects, including the new Phnom Penh International Airport.
In addition to his prison term, he was banned from taking office and voting.
The 56-year-old denied the charge of inciting and said all he did was post pictures of himself with the villager and comment on Facebook.
“This is not a law enforcement issue,” Ron told reporters after the verdict. “It’s about politics.”
He remains freely for a month given the opportunity to file an appeal that he says he is trying to do.
The US embassy, which is critical of Cambodian human rights records, had observers at the hearing but did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Allegations of agitation are frequently used against the enemy by Cambodian authorities.
Lon had already been sentenced to two years in the 2021 agitation, but after meeting with local farmers, he spread misinformation about Cambodia’s border with Vietnam.
He was released by the Court of Appeals later that same year.
Cambodian governments have long been accused of using the judicial system to persecute critics and political enemies.
It argues that it promotes the rule of law under electoral democracy, but political parties deemed to have strong challenges in the ruling Cambodian party have either been disbanded by courts or their leaders have been imprisoned or harassed.
Under the authoritarian former Prime Minister Hun Sen for almost 40 years, Cambodia has been widely criticized for human rights abuses, including freedom of speech and suppression of the association.
He was handed over to his American-educated son Hun Mane in August 2023, but there were few signs of political liberalization.
Late last year, Sun Chanthy, president of the National Power Party, was convicted of instigating social disability and sentenced to two years.
Sang was a former top leader of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, which was expected to present a strong challenge to Hun Sen’s ruling party in the 2018 election, but was disbanded by the High Court as part of a drastic opposition crackdown.
San later joined the Candlelight Party, the successor to the Cambodian National Rescue Party, which was forbidden to compete in technical competition in the 2023 general election.
He then helped shape the country’s power party at the end of 2023, along with Long Chen and others.
After his conviction Monday, Ron said he was not surprised by the verdict and vowed to continue “actively in order to protect the constitution.”
He urged members of the National Rights Party to stay on course while he served his sentence.
“Let’s not lose our heart,” he said. “We all have to be strong.”
