Kea Sokun/Facebook

The Siem Reap court today found two rappers, Kea Sokun and Long Putheara, guilty of incitement to commit a felony under Article 495 of the Criminal Code over songs they released addressing social issues. Sokun was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison, of which he must serve 1 year in prison with the remainder suspended. Putheara was sentenced to 5 months in prison, of which he must serve 3 months and 11 days in prison with the remainder suspended.

Sokun, who was 22 at the time of arrest, and Putheara, who was 17, were arrested in September and put into pre-trial detention over lyrics in rap songs they produced that were critical of the government’s response to social issues such as the economy and Cambodian border. The complaints against the two rappers were filed by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

During the duo’s trial, Putheara agreed with the ministry’s lawyer that he was mistaken when he released songs about social issues, while Sokun maintained that he had nothing to apologise for and declined to agree with the ministry’s position. Putheara is scheduled to be released from prison today, while Sokun is scheduled to be released in September 2021.