The latest government case against opposition leader Sam Rainsy is centered around a call for mass protests he made last month at a Paris pagoda, but there is no “official charge against him yet,” his lawyer said on Wednesday.
CNRP lawyer Sam Sokong said the case involves his pagoda speech, a video of which Mr. Rainsy posted to his Facebook page on September 11, though it appears to have since been taken down.
Mr. Rainsy, who is living abroad to avoid jail time for a separate defamation case, spoke over video link the same day to supporters at the CNRP’s headquarters in Phnom Penh.
“If you consider that it is right, we must arrange mass demonstrations like 2013 and early 2014,” he said.
“Are you ready to join a mass demonstration to demand justice for Khmer people? Do you agree?”
The fresh complaint came from the Interior Ministry, but had yet to result in official charges, according to Mr. Sokong.
“The authorities just concluded that he incited chaos and affected social security,” he said. Court officials declined to comment on the case, while Interior Ministry officials could not be reached.
