Cambodian opposition politician appeals conviction

An outspoken Cambodian opposition politician is seeking to overturn a four-year jail sentence, asking the country's highest court to drop his conviction for incitement to cause social unrest. Rong Chhun, an advisor to the Nation Power Party, was found guilty last year and subsequently banned from voting and holding office.

Chhun's legal troubles stem from his meetings with victims of land disputes and his comments regarding Prime Minister Hun Manet’s visit to the border area with Vietnam in 2024. An appeals court previously upheld his conviction earlier this year. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard his further appeal, with approximately 200 supporters gathering outside the courthouse to voice their support.

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We hope that the court will render justice to me and will give me freedom so that I can continue my political life in the future.

"We hope that the court will render justice to me and will give me freedom so that I can continue my political life in the future," Rong Chhun told the assembled crowd after the hearing. He stated he was "not worried" about returning to prison if the appeal failed, characterizing such obstacles as a common experience for opposition parties in Cambodia.

The court is scheduled to issue its ruling on Friday. This case is part of a broader pattern where Cambodian authorities are frequently accused by rights groups of using legal charges to silence political dissent. Opposition leader Kem Sokha, though recently pardoned, still faces restrictions on his political rights.

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an opposition party, we always meet obstacles