A wave of arrests in early September has swept up opposition politicians, activists and journalists in Cambodia on treason and incitement charges, part of a broader crackdown on dissent that has continued through the year.
On Wednesday, three elected officials from the Khmer Will Party were convicted of incitement over social media posts after nearly six months in pre-trial detention, underscoring the pressure on what remains of the country’s weakened opposition.
Muth Rin, 77, a Khmer Will Party district councilor in Chamkar Loeu, Kampong Cham province, and Kan Kun, a Candlelight Party commune councilor from the same province, were sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and fined 2 million riel ($500).
Their charges stemmed from social media posts critical of the government, a local rights group reported. Both have been held in pre-trial detention since March.
A third person, Louck Oriday, was also convicted of incitement.
Rin, Kun and Oriday are among at least 76 “prisoners of interest” jailed in Cambodia over their activism or speech, according to local rights group Licadho, which tracks the detention of politicians, environmental defenders, land activists, trade unionists, journalists and social media users on what it says are unfounded charges.
The Candlelight Party, once considered the main challenger to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, was disqualified from running in the 2023 national election, a move called politically motivated and a blow to democracy by rights groups and international electoral watchdogs. The National Election Committee cited the party’s failure to submit proper registration documents, a decision upheld by the Constitutional Court.
The convictions come as Licadho reported another Khmer Will Party member, Chan Cheat, charged with treason on Sept. 5 in Banteay Meanchey province under Article 445 of the Criminal Code, which covers “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense.”
He was accused of taking photos and videos in Chouk Chey village, a recent flashpoint in border tensions with Thailand, and remains in pre-trial detention.
In a separate case, two other Khmer Will Party and Candlelight Party members, Hem Hoeurn and Vorn Lang, were arrested and charged with incitement in Kampong Speu province. They are being held in pre-trial detention at Phnom Penh’s notoriously overcrowded Correctional Center 1, or CC1.
Kampong Speu deputy police chief Nhem Sao confirmed the arrests, saying they were carried out under a warrant from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, but gave no further details on the alleged incitement.
Roeun Lina, secretary chief of the Banteay Meanchey provincial court, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesperson Y Rin could also not be reached.
Song Sochea, the wife of 36-year-old Chan Socheat, urged authorities and court officials to release her husband, insisting on his innocence and saying a treason charge is a very serious matter.
She said she learned of the arrest from relatives and a village chief’s assistant, who told her that military police had checked her husband’s phone after he took photos and videos around Chouk Chey.
“The village chief’s assistant said he was arrested for allegedly ‘sharing a location’ with the Thai military,” she said.
Sochea noted that Socheat works as a taxi driver transporting people across the border and shares his location with customers.
“My husband has never betrayed the nation,” she declared.
Vorn Sokea, son of Vorn Lang, called his father’s arrest an “injustice because he has done nothing wrong.”
“He didn’t even post anything,” he added.
Their cases illustrate the ongoing patterns of detentions targeting journalists and opposition figures amid heightened security and intensity along Cambodia’s border with Thailand.
Two journalists reporting on the aftermath of border clashes with Thailand were arrested on July 31 and later charged with treason, which carries a sentence of seven to 15 years, under Article 445.
It remains unclear what specific post triggered the charge. Their case was made public earlier this month after a spouse of one of the journalists apologized and directly appealed to Prime Minister Hun Manet for his release on a broadcast by his news outlet.
Candlelight Party Secretary General Ly Sothearayuth said the party did not know the reason for the arrest of two members in Kampong Speu, noting that they are active and popular local party officials.
“The continued arrest of opposition activists is a form of political persecution and intimidation that makes members afraid to participate in party activities,” Sothearayuth said.
He added that such actions undermine democratic principles and called on authorities to stop detaining opposition activists and release those already held.
Am Sam Ath, operations director at Licadho, noted that in the past, environmental, social, and political activists have also been accused of conspiracy to commit treason.
Treason and incitement charges have long been criticized by Cambodian and international rights groups as politically motivated tools to silence dissent.
This month’s string of arrests and convictions comes as the government recently amended the Nationality Law, allowing citizenship to be stripped from Cambodians for broad reasons, including “committing acts of treason.” Over 50 civil society groups have raised the alarm about the potential misuse of the law and threats it poses to activists and the public.
Sam Ath voiced concern that the new amendments could be applied to the recent cases involving opposition members and journalists.
(Additional reporting by Moun Liza)
