RFA
A court in Cambodia’s Tbong Khmum province on Friday sentenced 14 political opposition figures and land-rights activists charged with conspiracy and incitement to one-year prison terms amid a continuing nationwide crackdown by authorities on political dissent in the Southeast Asian country.
Eight of those convicted are now being held in the Tbong Khmum provincial prison and include six members of the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), while another six defendants were convicted in absentia after having fled the country to avoid arrest, sources say.
Speaking to RFA after the sentencing, Sam Sokung, a defense lawyer for the convicted CNRP members, slammed the court’s decision as unfair and said he would appeal Friday’s verdict after conferring with his clients.