Four years in prison for Cambodian dissident and opponent Rong Chhun
The leader of the Nation Power Party was one of the few critical voices still free, opposed to the Hun clan, which has ruled Cambodia of 40 years. The court found him guilty of "incitement". His "crime" was that of defending peasants from land grabs and of criticising government policies.
Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) – Rong Chhun, one of the few dissidents still in the country willing to oppose the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) led by Hun Manet, was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison for "incitement".
His "offence" was that he met with residents of villages negatively impacted by mega development projects, including the new international airport of the capital Phnom Penh.
His Nation Power Party (NPP) is the only political movement with a certain strength and appeal left to counter the power of the ruling PPC and, for this reason, its members are regularly victims of legal harassment and acts of intimidation.
Any hope raised two years ago by the arrival of Hun Manet, son of long-term strongman Hun Sen, have so far proved illusory. The younger Hun replaced his father, who had been at the helm of the country for nearly 40 years.
But while the new prime minister has shown greater openness at the international level, compared to his father’s cosy partnership with China, domestically he has been as intransigent as his paterfamilias.
In fact, Cambodian authorities continue to enforce strict censorship on mass media, crack down on political dissidents and social critics, and manage natural and human resources largely in favour of the country’s elites.
Meanwhile, corruption remains rampant, transnational crime prospers with lucrative trafficking, starting with various forms of cybercrime.
Like others who tried to stand up against the absolute power of the Hun clan and its acolytes, Rong Chhun has been also a victim of the instrumental use of the judiciary.
When his sentence was read, the 56-year-old former union leader and now senior councillor of his party denied all charges, saying that his “crime” was posting online images taken during meetings with representatives of rural communities forced out of their lands and adding some commentary.
His fate highlights the regime’s bullying of him, but also his own and his party's need not to give up on demanding greater democracy and justice.
For Rong, this is his second conviction in four years, after a two-year prison sentence in 2021.
In addition, like Rong Chhun, NPP President Sun Chanthy, was convicted on similar grounds in 2023. The NPP replaced the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was banned in 2017 after its founders and leaders were jailed or forced into exile.
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