Former CNRP Commune Chief Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison
Published on 27 February 2023The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning confirmed its conviction of former opposition commune chief Kim Tola on the charge of incitement, sentencing her to 18 months in prison.
Tola, who was elected in Kampong Speu province, was one of seven former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) officials tried and convicted of incitement in July and August 2022 in a case related to Facebook posts from 2018 through 2021. Tola was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Tola was arrested on 30 October 2022 at Phnom Penh International Airport while leaving to meet her husband in Germany. Tola’s lawyer objected to the August 2022 conviction on the basis that Tola was never properly summonsed, and the Municipal Court reheard the case against her on 6 February 2022. Without providing any reasoning, the court again found Tola guilty of incitement despite the lack of evidence during the retrial that Tola had liked, commented on, or shared the Facebook posts of other parties that were the subject of the case.