Cambodia's Supreme Court Upholds Suspended Sentence for Opposition Politician Rong Chhun

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's Supreme Court on Friday upheld the incitement conviction of prominent opposition politician Rong Chhun, sentencing him to a three-year suspended prison term while barring him from politics for five years and restricting his travel abroad. The decision, which drew anger from supporters gathered outside the court, keeps Rong Chhun out of prison but effectively sidelines him from political activity for years.

The 56-year-old senior adviser to the Nation Power Party was found guilty of inciting social unrest after meeting with villagers displaced by government construction projects, a case widely viewed as part of ongoing efforts by Prime Minister Hun Manet's administration to suppress dissent. The Supreme Court's ruling followed his appeal against a May 2025 conviction by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, which had sentenced him to four years in prison and permanently stripped his political rights. The Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld that conviction in March 2026.

According to his attorney Em Chantha, the verdict prohibits Rong Chhun from any political involvement, including voting or standing as a candidate, and bans him from leaving the country for three years. The suspended sentence means he will not serve prison time. Supreme Court decisions are final, but Rong Chhun said he and his legal team would study the verdict to determine whether a pardon could be sought from Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni.