A Cambodian court has sentenced long-time opposition leader Sam Rainsy to 25 years imprisonment in absentia over an alleged plot to overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government.
According to a report supported by a court source, eight other exiled opposition politicians, including Rainsy’s wife Tioulong Saumura, were also sentenced to between 20 and 22 years in prison. The court also stripped Rainsy of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in an election.
The group was charged with committing an “attack liable to endanger the institutions of the Kingdom of Cambodia or violate the integrity of the national territory” under Article 451 of the Criminal Code. Among the other officials sentenced were deputy party leader Mu Sochua and senior officials Eng Chhay Eang, Men Sothavarin, Ou Chanrith, Ho Vann, Long Ry, and Nuth Romduol.
What Motivated The Case?
The case relates to Rainsy’s attempt to return to Cambodia in November 2019. The former CNRP president had remained overseas after an arrest warrant was issued for him in 2015 in a defamation case. Other senior leaders fled the country after then-party president Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 and the party dissolved months later.
Sam Rainsy was prevented from entering Cambodian shores in 2019 after the government issued travel bans and warned neighbouring countries and airlines from allowing him to board Phnom Penh-bound flights.
During the trial, which started in November 2020, the government characterised Sam Rainsy’s efforts to return to Cambodia as an attempted coup, pointing to plans to gather party supporters and organize other repatriations.
Rainsy’s Response
Responding via Twitter, Rainsy described the sentence as “a political statement born out of weakness and fear.”
“Hun Sen is afraid of any risk of my returning to the Cambodian political scene,” he wrote. “Hun Sen also dreads the prospect of any free and fair election which would inevitably lead to the end of his current autocratic regime.”
Hun Sen is one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, maintaining a 36-year grip on power with methods that critics say include jailing political opponents and activists.
