AFP
A Cambodian court on Monday sentenced nine activists, including a lawmaker from the outlawed main opposition party, to prison terms ranging from 12 to 20 months on incitement charges for issuing pro-democracy petitions last year, the daughter of one of the defendants said.
Police arrested the seven opposition activists in October and December 2020 on incitement charges for staging a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in the capital Phnom Penh last Oct. 23, the 29th anniversary of the singing of the Paris Peace Agreement, marking the official end of the Cambodian-Vietnamese War.
During the demonstration, they tried to submit petitions to the embassies of China, France, and the United States, saying that Cambodia had violated the democratic principles set forth in the Paris Peace Agreement.
AFP
Cambodian opposition activists have lambasted Prime Minister Hun Sen for returning a confiscated illegal pet lion to its Chinese owner to raise at home, though he continues to refuse to release detained political and environmental activists so they can reunite with their families.
The 18-month-old cub named Hima, which weighs 70 kilograms (154 pounds) and is declawed and defanged, was trafficked into Cambodia from abroad, news agencies reported.
Authorities raided the villa of Chinese national Qi Xiao and confiscated the lion on June 27 after videos of the animal playing on the grounds were seen on the video app TikTok, saying that it was illegal to keep lions as pets in Cambodia.