Overview
- The Supreme Court, which issued the ruling on Friday, suspended the remainder of Rong Chhun’s four-year jail term but upheld his 2024 conviction for incitement to cause social unrest.
- The court barred Rong Chhun from voting, running for office, or holding office for five years and banned him from traveling abroad for three years, his lawyer said.
- Around 200–300 supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh to protest the verdict and chanted for the charges to be dropped.
- Human Rights Watch and other rights groups said the decision shows a lack of judicial independence and continues a pattern of using criminal charges to sideline opposition figures.
- With the Supreme Court’s decision final the only practical legal avenue left is a request for a royal pardon, and the ban is likely to affect Rong Chhun’s role in the 2027 local polls and the 2028 general election.