A former official with a new Cambodian opposition party, the Nation Power Party, was sentenced Monday to two years in jail for inciting social disorder, in what the party and his relatives said was a politically motivated conviction.
Former Nation Power Party president Sun Chanthy was also hit with a 4 million riel (US$1,000) fine to be paid to the plaintiff — the government — and was banned from participating in politics for the rest of his life.
Sun Chanthy was charged with inciting the public to oppose the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet in May by spreading false information on social media.
Critics said his conviction is the latest example of how the government uses the judicial system to prosecute political opponents.
“This is a decision based on political influence,“ said National Power Party advisor Rong Chhunhe. ”Those who are being jailed in Cambodia are those who want to restore Cambodia’s reputation and respect of human rights and democracy.”
Sun Chanthy’s lawyer, Choung Chou Ngy, told reporters outside the courthouse that the case lacked strong evidence to charge the politician. He said he would talk to Sun Chanthy about filing an appeal.
Arrested at airport
Authorities arrested Sun Chanthy at Phnom Penh International Airport in early May after he returned from meeting Cambodian overseas workers in Japan.
His charged stemmed from a comment Sun Chanthy made on social media that criticized the government’s policy on issuing “poverty cards” for the poor to receive free medical treatment or subsidies. The government said he had “twisted information” to suggest that the cards would only be distributed to those who join the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
Nation Power Party officials and Sun Chanthy’s wife called the conviction by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court unfair, saying the politician is innocent and that alleged statements he made were meant only as constructive criticism.
Sun Chanthy’s wife, Yan Sreyyan, told Radio Free Asia that she was disappointed with the verdict, issued while she was in the hospital after giving birth.
She said her husband, who was convicted in absentia because he chose not to attend the trial, was a good man and had not committed any of the crimes alleged by the court, She urged judicial authorities to drop the charges and release him.
Complete mockery
In a joint statement issued Monday, the opposition Candlelight Party and Khmer Will Party said the verdict violated voting rights and the right to run for an office, which are protected by Cambodia’s constitution. They urged the court to drop the charges against Sun Chanthy and release him.
RFA could not reach Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Y Rin for comment.
Phil Robertson, director of the consultancy Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, posted on social media Monday that the Cambodian government’s repression of the political opposition is now systemic and widespread, and that Cambodia has made a complete mockery of the idea of “democracy.”
Am San Ath, operations director at the human rights group Licadho, said the verdict would further expose Cambodia to criticism by international rights groups that it restricts freedoms and political rights.
Cambodia should return to restoring democracy and fully opening up the space for freedoms for its citizens and opposition politicians, he said.
Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.