Candlelight Party President Teav Vannol campaigning in Kampong Thom province during the district and provincial council election in May 2024. Photo supplied.

Five opposition party members were arrested across two provinces in the last six days, while a Phnom Penh court confiscated three properties belonging to Candlelight Party President Teav Vannol in relation to his recent defamation conviction.

Two Candlelight and two Khmer Will Party members from Kampong Speu’s Basedth district were arrested between 26 and 30 July and sent to pretrial detention. Ouk Sovanchhorn, a Candlelight commune councillor; Tok Dara, Candlelight’s Basedth district chief; and Boun Sarom and Chaem Savoeun, both Khmer Will district councillors, were charged under various articles of the Criminal Code for conducting routine party work.

In Svay Rieng, Peak Vanna, a Candlelight commune candidate from 2022, was detained after being charged with the unlawful use of a uniform designated for public authorities under Article 612 of the Criminal Code. Vanna was charged for wearing a camouflage jacket. He was arrested on 29 July.

Separately from the arrests, the Phnom Penh Capital Court ordered the confiscation of three properties belonging to Candlelight Party President Teav Vannol on July 30. Earlier this year, Vannol was sued by the government for comments he made to international media about the human rights situation in Cambodia under Prime Minister Hun Manet. He was found guilty of defamation on 25 July and ordered to pay the government 6 billion riel (around US$1.5 million) in damages and 10 million riel (around $2,500) in fines.

One of the three properties is in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov district and two plots of land are in Chamkar Leu district in Kampong Cham province. The court order said that Vannol must deposit the $1.5 million in damages to lift the freeze on his properties. This confiscation is similar to the defamation conviction against former Candlelight Vice President Son Chhay, who had two houses seized by the court in lieu of $1 million he was ordered to pay in damages after being convicted of defamation of the ruling party.

For more information on these arrests and others visit LICADHO’s Prisoners of Interest page.