Rong Chhun Petitions Justice Ministry for Retrial Over Incitement Conviction

Rong Chhun, an advisor for the Nation Power Party, petitioned the Justice Ministry on Wednesday seeking a retrial and the restoration of his political rights after the Supreme Court last month upheld his incitement conviction. About 20 Nation Power Party members accompanied Chhun to the ministry in Phnom Penh, the latest development in a legal battle that rights groups and opposition figures have described as politically motivated. “The decision to strip my right to vote, run for election, engage in politics and restrict my attendance at public gatherings or travel outside Phnom Penh does not comply with the constitution,” Chhun told reporters outside the ministry. “I request a review of the case for a retrial and, secondly, that the Supreme Court’s decision be rejected entirely,” he said. “We, citizens, have to demand our rights which are stipulated in the constitution, if we do not defend our right, we will lose it.” The Supreme Court last month upheld Chhun’s 2025 conviction for incitement to disturb social order over public comments about online scam operations in Cambodia and the country’s border with Vietnam. It set aside his four year prison sentence, reduced a lifetime ban on his political rights to five years and placed him under three years of judicial supervision. Under the supervision order, he is barred from leaving Phnom Penh or attending public gatherings. Pen Phalika, spokesperson for the Justice Ministry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chhun said the Supreme Court’s decision to maintain a ban on his political rights was inconsistent with several provisions of Cambodia’s Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Formerly one of Cambodia’s most prominent labor union leaders, Chhun’s conviction is part of a broader crackdown on opposition figures and parties in recent years as the Cambodian People’s Party has consolidated its grip on power after more than four decades of rule. The ruling also came amid limited legal concessions for other opposition figures targeted by the courts. Kem Sokha, former leader of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, received a partial pardon in May that ended his sentence to 27 years of house arrest on a treason conviction, but left intact his lifetime ban from politics and a five-year ban on foreign travel. It was not immediately clear what authority, if any, the Justice Ministry has to act on the petition.