The Phnom Penh Municipal and Appeal Court buildings, pictured on 18 October 2023.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court today announced its guilty verdict for Thach Setha, Vice-President of the opposition Candlelight Party, on charges of incitement to commit a felony and incitement to discriminate. Setha was convicted for a speech that he made to supporters of the former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) early this year.

The court found Setha guilty under Articles 494, 495 and 496 of the Criminal Code, and imposed the maximum prison sentence of three years as well as a fine of 4 million riel (about US$1,000).

The charges were in relation to a speech that Setha gave on 8 January 2023 during a visit to South Korea. The speech criticised the celebration of 7 January, an official holiday marking the toppling of the Khmer Rouge regime, and which the opposition often critically refers to when speaking of the Vietnamese government’s presence in Cambodia throughout the 1980s. Setha also referred to connections between the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the Khmer Rouge. Setha’s speech was videotaped and posted on YouTube by an unknown source. Setha was subsequently ordered to be held in pre-trial detention.

Setha has been in detention since January 2023 following his arrest on charges of irregular financial payments in a separate case. Setha was convicted in that case in September 2023, and sentenced to 18 months in prison as well as ordered to pay fines and compensation.