Rong Chhun Appeals 4-Year Jail Term in Cambodia
Last update: June 15, 2026
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He met farmers caught in land disputes, commented on the PM's border trip, and ended up with a prison sentence. Now he's back in court trying to get his political life back.
So, on Monday, outspoken opposition figure Rong Chhun walked into Cambodia's Supreme Court and basically said: overturn this. He's fighting a four-year jail term for "incitement to cause social unrest", a charge Cambodian authorities have a habit of pulling out for activists and critics.
Rong Chhun isn't just any commentator. He's an adviser to the Nation Power Party, and last year he was convicted, locked up in theory for four years, and banned from voting or standing for office. Why? According to the case brought in 2024, it all stemmed from him meeting victims of land disputes and then speaking out about Prime Minister Hun Manet's visit to the Vietnam border area.
An appeals court already upheld the conviction earlier this year, so this Supreme Court hearing was his next shot. About 200 supporters turned up outside the building to back him.
After the hearing, he was pretty straight with the crowd: "We hope that the court will render justice to me and will give me freedom so that I can continue my political life in the future." The judges said they'll hand down a ruling on Friday.
Is he scared of going inside? Not really. He told reporters he was "not worried" about prison, adding with a shrug that "as an opposition party, we always meet obstacles."
This isn't his first run-in either. He got two years back in August 2021 for similar activism, but an appeals court let him out after just three months.
Rights groups have long criticised the government for using the courts like this, basically lawfare to silence dissent, they argue. And the pattern feels familiar. Just last month, opposition leader Kem Sokha was pardoned after getting a staggering 27-year sentence for treason, but even with the pardon, he's still barred from voting or holding office.
So now all eyes are on Friday. Will the Supreme Court actually free Rong Chhun, or is this another chapter in Cambodia's crackdown on opposition voices?
Source: cbinewstv
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