PHNOM PENH – A Cambodian court has found opposition politician Teav Vannor guilty of defamation for comments he made to foreign media about the state of democracy in the country and fined him US$1.5 million (S$2 million) in damages, a rights watchdog said.
Candlelight Party leader Van Nol told the Nikkei newspaper in an interview in February this year that democracy in the Southeast Asian country was deteriorating under Hun Manet’s government.
He is the son of the country’s longtime leader, Hun Sen, and is due to take power in 2023.
The Candlelight Party was barred from taking part in the 2023 general election, which was won by a landslide by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, led by Hun Manet.
A Phnom Penh court on July 25 found Van Nor guilty of violating section 305 of Singapore’s defamation law and ordered him to pay 6 billion riel (S$1.96 million) in damages, rights group LICADHO and an independent human rights monitor told Reuters.
Both were represented in court.
Spokesmen for the court and government could not immediately be reached. Vanolle is currently out of the country and his lawyer did not respond to calls from Reuters.
Successive Cambodian governments have repeatedly denied cracking down on dissent and insist politicians and activists are only prosecuted if they have committed a crime.
Concerns about political freedoms in Cambodia continue to grow.
Analysts say Hun Sen’s rule was marked by a crackdown on opposition parties, the closure of independent media and the jailing of activists.
“As opposition leader, Vannol made comments to journalists criticising his political opponents. How can that be a crime?” said Naly Pirolge, deputy director of LICADHO.
“Any hope for democracy and political freedom depends on all citizens being able to freely voice their concerns and criticisms of the country’s political leaders.”
Human rights monitor Kim Pissis, who was present in court, said the sentence sent a chilling message that anyone who criticizes the government could be tried, jailed and faced heavy fines.
The ruling came just weeks after a Cambodian court sentenced a group of environmental activists to up to eight years in prison for plotting against the government and insulting the king. Reuters