The imprisoned activist Seng Theary ended her 10-day hunger strike on Thursday after losing about 5 kilograms, according to her lawyer Jared Genser, following a June report from a UN working group that called for her immediate release.
“I went on a hunger strike not only to call for my freedom, but for the freedom of all Cambodians,” Theary said in a statement released by Genser. “Even while my body was at its weakest, I remained incredibly determined and now feel 1,000 times stronger for this righteous cause.”
She also called for the international community to speak out about “political prisoners” and “the fall of democracy” in Cambodia.
Theary, a citizen of both the U.S. and Cambodia, was sentenced to six years in prison in June last year for conspiracy to commit treason, one of more than 100 members of the dissolved CNRP opposition group put on trial for charges of incitement and treason.
She began the hunger strike on July 17 to demand her release and the release of other political prisoners.
The Interior Ministry’s General Department of Prisons spokesperson Nouth Savna said Thursday he was not surprised that “she has become weak because she was thin from the beginning.”
He said there was nothing to be concerned about with Theary’s health because her blood pressure was measured every day, and also noted that she drank milk during her hunger strike.
“This hunger strike has no influence on the procedures of the court,” said Justice Ministry spokesperson Chin Malin. “It is her right to eat or not because no one can force her.”
A senior investigator at the human rights group Adhoc Soeng Senkarun said that Sam Titseyha, one of Theary’s lawyers, visited her on Thursday, and reported that she has become weak, pale and thin.
“This action [the hunger strike] is to show her advocating about the injustice of her imprisonment,” he said. “It does not benefit the government to detain Seng Theary because, as we know, the United States has pressured and cut some aid [to Cambodia].”
Following the national election on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said it has taken steps to restrict the visas of people who undermined Cambodia’s democracy and put a pause on some of its assistance programs in the country.
US Congress members announced on July 14 proposed legislation first introduced in 2020 that would “hold the Cambodian government accountable for abuses and corruption that undermine democracy and human rights.” The bill mentions Theary and other convicted opposition figures.
“The United States calls for the immediate release of all unjustly detained opposition activists, including Seng Theary,” said US Embassy spokesperson Amparo Garcia. “U.S. Embassy officials recently visited Seng Theary in prison, as we do for all American citizens imprisoned in Cambodia. We will continue to monitor Seng’s case and conditions closely and provide all appropriate consular services.”
Sam Titseyha could not be reached for comment. The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and its office in Cambodia did not respond immediately to requests for comment sent Friday afternoon.
