Rong Chhun speaks outside Phnom Penh’s Correctional Centre 1 following his release from prison in November 2021.

The Phnom Penh Court of Appeal this morning refused political activist Rong Chhun’s application to clear his criminal record related a 2021 incitement charge and restore his political rights, denying an application for rehabilitation under Articles 534 to 541 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The rehabilitation application relates to Chhun’s 2021 incitement conviction, for which he served over 15 months in prison. As part of that case, Chhun, a former labour union leader and advisor to the opposition National Power Party, was ordered to jointly pay damages of 400 million riel (about US $100,000) to the Cambodia Border Affairs Committee. In April this year, the Phnom Penh Capital Court ordered the seizure of Chhun’s assets, including his home in Phnom Penh, claiming that those damages had not been paid. During today’s hearing, the court stated that Chhun had failed to provide evidence of the compensation paid to the civil party as a key reason why his application for rehabilitation was denied.

This decision is separate from a case earlier this month, when Chhun was again convicted of incitement by the Phnom Penh Capital Court. Under that new criminal case, in addition to being permanently stripped of his rights to vote and stand for election, Chhun was also sentenced to four years in prison and fined 4 million riel (about US $1,000). The recent conviction followed comments that Chhun allegedly made expressing his opinion of Cambodia's online fraud sector and the Cambodia-Vietnam border.