NewsA Cambodian court on Thursday sentenced opposition party leader Sun Chanthy to two years in prison for inciting social unrest, according to local media.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court also permanently banned Chanthy, the president of the Nation Power Party, from voting or running for office, and fined him four million riels (approximately $1,000).
The court convicted Chanthy in absentia after he chose not to attend his trial. Chanthy was arrested in May 2023 upon returning to Cambodia from Japan, where he met with Cambodian overseas workers and criticized the government. Chanthy called for greater freedom for opposition parties and highlighted issues related to government welfare programs that he perceives as unfairly administered. He specifically criticized the distribution of special welfare cards to impoverished families, which he alleged were linked to political favoritism towards members of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The Justice Ministry accused him of distorting information to suggest that only those aligned with the CPP would benefit from these programs.
Chanthy was previously associated with the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which dissolved in 2017 before the country’s general elections. The CNRP was seen as a formidable challenger to the ruling party but faced severe repression leading up to the July 2018 elections, in which the CPP won every seat in the National Assembly. Following this dissolution, Chanthy helped establish the Candlelight Party, which faced legal challenges that prevented it from participating in elections.
As political tensions rise in Cambodia, Chanthy’s sentencing underscores ongoing concerns regarding democratic freedoms and human rights. Chanthy’s conviction marked a significant escalation in the government’s crackdown on dissent, occurring amid increasing scrutiny of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s administration and its treatment of political opponents.
Chanthy’s conviction was part of a broader pattern of legal actions against critics of the Cambodian government. Under the nearly 40-year rule of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia faced widespread condemnation for alleged human rights abuses and suppression of free speech. Although Hun Sen’s son Hun Manet succeeded him last year, critics claim there have been few signs of political liberalization. Such critics allege that the government continues to use the judicial system as a tool against opposition figures, with many political parties dissolved or their leaders imprisoned.
