PHNOM PENH (AFP) – An outspoken Cambodian opposition politician appeared in court yesterday for questioning on new charges, the latest in a series of legal cases brought by the authorities against dissenting voices.
Rong Chhun, an adviser to the Nation Power Party, which was founded last year, faces up to six years in prison if he is convicted of new charges which include “incitement to disturb social stability”.
Rong Chhun said the allegations against him relate to his meetings with victims of land disputes, and his interview about Prime Minister Hun Manet’s recent visit to the border area with Vietnam.
A judge granted him bail but he was banned from attending political rallies and travelling overseas among other conditions, Rong Chhun told reporters after the hearing. “I lost some freedom,” he said.
The incitement charge is frequently used by Cambodian authorities against activists. Several dozen supporters and party members gathered outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and cheered when they saw Rong Chhun leave the building.
“It is repression and a limitation of my freedom to participate in political activities,” a former vice president of the opposition Candlelight Party Rong Chhun told reporters before entering the courtroom.
Police set up barricades around the court, preventing journalists and supporters from approaching the entrance.
