Rong Chhun, an advisor of the Nation Power Party, speaking to the media near the Phnom Penh municipal court on April 23, 2025. - AFP
PHNOM PENH: An outspoken Cambodian politician went on trial on incitement charges on Wednesday (April 23), in the latest legal case against a prominent opposition figure.
Rong Chhun, an adviser to the Nation Power Party, which was founded in 2023, faces up to four years in prison if he is convicted on charges of incitement to cause serious social unrest.
The charges were brought last year after he met victims of land disputes, and comments he made about Prime Minister Hun Manet's visit to the border area with Vietnam.
The incitement charge is frequently used by Cambodian authorities against activists.
As he arrived at court, Rong Chhun told reporters the case against him was "politically motivated".
"The charge against me related to the repeated incitement to cause social instability is unacceptable because it doesn't reflect the truth," he said.
"I am not worried because I do social work. We are doing political work so we always face obstacles. But we are not worried because we did nothing wrong, we just seek justice and resolutions for people."
After the hearing ended, Rong Chhun told reporters he had asked the court to clear him. A verdict is expected on May 5.
Rong Chhun was previously arrested in 2020 after accusing the Cambodia government of "irregularities" in the demarcation of Cambodia's eastern border with Vietnam.
He was sentenced to two years in jail in August 2021 but was released three months later by an appeal court, with the remaining sentence suspended for three years.
Sun Chanthy, the founder of the Nation Power Party, was sentenced to two years in jail in December for inciting social disorder.
Rights groups have long accused Cambodia's government of using legal cases as a tactic to silence opposition voices and legitimate political dissent.
Another opposition leader was fined US$1.5 million in July after remarking that Cambodia was "getting worse in terms of democracy" under the leadership of Hun Manet.
Hun Manet assumed power in 2023 after his father, Hun Sen, stepped down following nearly four decades of rule. - AFP
