A Cambodian court has convicted 19 political opposition leaders of trying to overthrow the government, following a case that one human rights group has described as a "bogus." The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday found the members of the now-dissolved Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), and one member's relative, guilty of incitement, attempting to incite military personnel to disobey and conspiracy, the AP reports. Seven defendants, including former CNRP leader Sam Rainsy, currently living abroad were tried in absentia. All face five to 10 years in prison.
The convictions received swift condemnation from Human Rights Watch, one of the many advocacy groups that have long criticized Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's treatment of political opponents. "This is all about making sure the CNRP networks are thoroughly crushed before the commune elections scheduled in June so there can be no possible political challenges," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of HRW, told NPR. The prosecution accused the defendants of conspiring to topple the current government run by Prime Minister Hun Sen on a list of occasions, including using the pandemic to undermine the current regime's credibility by disseminating untrue and inflammatory information. The group was also accused have having a "secret network" and blamed for the partial suspension of the European Union's "Everything But Arms" trade agreement with Cambodia, which was revoked in 2020 over human and labor rights concerns.
Read more here: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/17/1087133899/convictions-of-cambodian-oppo…
