Battambang Appeal Court (Facebook)

The Battambang Appeal Court today upheld the three-year prison sentence of social activist Kong Saron, who was arrested in July 2023 for political opinions he expressed during a Facebook livestream.

Saron was first taken into custody on 2 July 2023 for comments he published in a video on Facebook during the 2023 National Election campaign period. Saron was released shortly after issuing an apology. However, he was convicted by the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court on 22 November for incitement to commit a felony, public insult and insulting the king and sentenced to three years. He was arrested on 25 November and imprisoned.

The Battambang Appeal Court upheld Saron’s conviction on Thursday, and he will remain in prison to serve his sentence pending his last appeal.

In December, six police officers entered LICADHO’s office in Banteay Meanchey province and removed four of Saron’s family members, who were seeking legal advice from the organisation. The police officers did not produce any relevant documents at the time, and the four were released a few hours later.