The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday ordered the seizure of opposition advisor and labor activist Rong Chhun’s assets, including his home, over a contested $100,000 fine linked to a 2021 incitement conviction widely criticized by rights groups.
The order comes as Chhun faces fresh incitement charges over recent criticism of the ruling party’s border policies and its handling of the country’s illicit cybercrime industry. His 2021 incitement conviction also stemmed from remarks he made about the Vietnam-Cambodia border.
The six-figure fine was issued jointly to two fellow activists arrested with Chhun in 2021, and its payment deadline has been repeatedly appealed and extended. After missing a February deadline and requesting to pay in installments, then failing to meet a late March extension, the court issued a notice ordering the seizure and forced sale of his Phnom Penh home.
Chhun posted the notice on his social media channels. The document did not specify the property’s value or how much it would contribute toward the fine.
“This case is very urgent,” the veteran labor rights leader told CamboJA News. “It’s a severe situation for me. Just yesterday I was in court for my incitement trial, and today I’ve received a warrant to seize my house.”
Chhun reiterated that he is not refusing to pay the fine but does not have the means to pay it in full.
“I will continue to struggle with these challenges because I still believe justice will be served one day – for me, and for others who have also been victimized,” he said.
Ny Sokha, president of local rights group Adhoc, raised concern over the use of legal and financial pressure against political opponents, as seen in Chhun’s case.
“Politics should not be about seizing property or enforcing compensation payments because of a politician using the ‘wrong words’,” he said while condoning any instances of judicial overreach in Cambodian courts.
Sokha pointed to past cases when property seizures were carried out against political dissidents for failure to pay fines, such as when opposition leader Sam Rainsy was ordered to pay $1 million in damages in a defamation case filed by former Prime Minister Hun Sen, resulting in the seizure of his property.
Similarly, Son Chhay, former leader of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, was ordered to pay $750,000 over comments on alleged voter fraud in the 2022 commune elections, also leading to the seizure of his property when the fine remained unpaid.
Chhun is also not the only associate of the Nation Power Party facing legal trouble.
On April 22, Yang Sokheang, deputy executive of a local party committee in Kampong Thom, was arrested, according to a statement from the party, which called the arrest politically motivated.
Phnom Penh Municipal Police denied the accusation, insisting Sokheang was “inciting to disturb social security” and insulting the King, though they did not elaborate on the alleged offense.
Y Rin, Phnom Penh’s judicial spokesperson, could not immediately be reached for comment.
