A leading Cambodian opposition politician has been sentenced to two years in prison and banned from politics for life after being convicted of the crime of “inciting social unrest.”
Sun Chanthy, 44, the former president of the Nation Power Party (NPP), was convicted by judges at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 4 million riel ($994) and was stripped of his right to vote or run for office in any future election.
Chanthy was arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport in May after he returned from meeting Cambodian overseas workers in Japan, the local human rights group Licadho reported at the time. The charge was connected to criticisms that he posted on social media of the government’s policy on issuing “poverty cards,” which allow poor Cambodians to receive free medical treatment and other welfare benefits. In a statement at the time, the Ministry of Justice said that Chanthy had “twisted information” to suggest that the cards would only be available to those who join the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
In full: https://thediplomat.com/2024/12/cambodia-imprisons-leading-opposition-figure-for-incitement/
