A handicapped man has been detained for more than six months without trial after he posted comments on Facebook about Prime Minister Hun Manet and the government’s immigration practices, family members told Radio Free Asia.
Phon Yuth, 40, who has never had use of his legs and uses a wheelchair, posted and shared several messages on Facebook that criticized the existence of undocumented Vietnamese people living in Cambodia.
He also mentioned Senate President Hun Sen in the posts, which were published just months after Hun Sen stepped down as prime minister. The resignation in August 2023 paved the way for his son, Hun Manet, to be appointed to the position.
“I want a new leader,” Phon Yuth wrote in the message earlier this year.
He also posted comments about a Cambodian businessman who was accused of cheating people out of their money. He was arrested in March in southern Takeo province and charged with inciting discrimination.
His wife, Mom Vith, told RFA that the provincial court has repeatedly extended Phon Yuth’s detention while delaying scheduled court hearings. His mental health appears to have suffered during his six months in jail, she said.
“Don’t leave him and abandon him in jail quietly and indefinitely like that,” Mom Vith told RFA. “I beg the Takeo provincial court to set him free. What is the use of imprisoning him? Why did you arrest him for criticizing with one word?”
‘Expressing his opinions’
Under Article 209 of Cambodian’s criminal code, pre-trial detention for misdemeanors cannot exceed four months for adults, and can only be extended once for another two months if there is a “a clear and well-motivated warrant.”
Dragging the case on indefinitely while leaving Phon Yuth in jail appears to be a form of political persecution and a basic violation of his rights, said Am Sam Ath, the director general for public affairs for human rights group LICADO.
“He is being jailed for expressing his opinions,” he said. “And because he is a disabled person, I hope the court would drop the charge against him so that he can freely meet his family again.”
In a previous case, Phon Yuth was convicted in 2019 for inciting discrimination after he demanded on Facebook that Hun Sen resign as prime minister. He was sentenced by the Siem Reap Provincial Court to 18 months in prison.
An appeals court ordered his release after he had served five months in prison, with the remainder of the sentence suspended.
RFA was unable to reach Takeo Provincial Court spokesman Nget Davuth for comment on the current case on Monday.
Translated by Sum Sok Ry. Edited by Matt Reed.