The Phnom Penh Capital Court this afternoon convicted Mer Seng Hor, the deputy leader for the Nation Power Party (NPP) in Kampong Cham province, to two and a half years in prison on charges of public insult and incitement to discriminate over a Facebook post that was critical of the government’s democratic track record.

Seng Hor, also known as Kea Visal, was arrested in March 2024, shortly after joining the opposition NPP. He was placed in pre-trial detention in PJ prison in Phnom Penh on charges of public insult and incitement to discriminate under Articles 307, 494 and 496 of the Criminal Code. In addition to prison time, the court today also imposed a 4 million riel (around US$1,000) fine and ordered Seng Hor to pay 20 million riel (around US$5,000) in damages to Mai Hong Sreang, a former opposition official who later joined the ruling party and filed the complaint against Seng Hor.

This is the second time that Seng Hor has been arrested for his political activism. He was first arrested in 2019 on charges of incitement to commit a felony for criticising the government over Facebook and radio. He was imprisoned for one year in Correctional Centre 1 (CC1) prison over that charge. During his incarceration, Seng Hor reported being placed in solitary confinement on arrival. He was vocal about the abysmal state of prison conditions, particularly discrimination against imprisoned opposition members.

LICADHO has highlighted Seng Hor’s case as a “Repeat Defender”.