While American rappers such as YG and Nipsey Hussle have the freedom to call out future presidents in the case of “FDT (F*ck Donald Trump),” Cambodian artists don’t have the same luxury to attack the government without time behind bars.
According to Radio Free Asia, a Cambodia court upheld an 18-month jail sentence against Kea Sokun on Wednesday (June 16) after he was arrested in September 2020 for criticizing the government. The 23-year-old rapper was initially handed the sentence in December for “incitement to commit a felony or cause social unrest” under Article 495 of Cambodia’s Penal Code.
Kea Sokun was arrested for his lyrics in “Khmer Land” and “Sad Race,” with the former song racking up four million YouTube views while addressing Chinese investment in Cambodia, government suppression of rights and the Cambodian-Vietnamese border.
