PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian court has found the country’s exiled opposition leader guilty of defamation for alleging that a senior government official sought to inflate Prime Minister Hun Sen’s online popularity by buying “likes” for his Facebook page. The court, which represent the justice for all Cambodians, does not give justice to Mr Hong Sok Hour, not only him but in many other politically-motivated cases," said Son Chhay, a member of parliament who also belongs to the Cambodia National Rescue Party. Hong Sok Hour was arrested in August 2015 after Prime Minister Hun Sen accused him of treason for the online posting, which included the purported text of a 1979 treaty with Vietnam that declared that their mutual border would be dissolved. Hong Sok Hour is the latest opposition figure to run afoul of the law in what activists say is the willful use of the courts to suppress government critics. There has been a flurry of cases against opposition members in Cambodia’s courts, widely believed to be under the influence of Hun Sen’s government, with the intention of disrupting their organizing efforts ahead of local elections in June. A month ago, another opposition lawmaker, Um Sam Ann, who has been a strong critic of the government’s handling of demarcating the border with Vietnam, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for his online postings.
A Cambodian opposition senator is sentenced to 7 years in prison for a post on Facebook.