A Cambodian court has found opposition politician Teav Vannol guilty of defamation and fined him US$1.5 million in damages for comments he made to a foreign media outlet about the state of the country’s democracy, rights monitors said.
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In an interview with the Nikkei this February, Vannol, the president of the Candlelight Party, said democracy in the Southeast Asian nation had worsened under the administration of Hun Manet. He is the son of the country’s long-time leader Hun Sen and assumed power last year.
The Candlelight Party was barred from participating in last year’s general election that saw a landslide win for Hun’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
