The Appeal Court ruled that CNRP activist Pen Chansangkream’s 18-month jail sentence would be reduced to 10 months and 20 days, but that he will remain under probation for three years.
Mother Nature activists were “gathering strength for an uprising” as evidenced by a Zoom conference where they insulted government leaders and the king, while three arrested activists acknowledged they wanted people to rise up, the Interior Ministry said.
International rights groups and embassies raised concerns over the recent arrests of Mother Nature environmentalists, as a government-aligned media outlet posted alleged evidence of a Zoom meeting where the activists appear to discuss a cartoon sketch of Prime Minister Hun Sen wearing a crown.
Two ex-CNRP members have been found guilty of insulting the king and sentenced to three years in prison with two years suspended, Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesperson Y Rin said on Wednesday.
Two former CNRP members in their 60s pleaded guilty on Tuesday to insulting the king during a phone call to each other, with no explanation given during the trial about how the charge applies to private conversations.
Two opposition officials were arrested for insulting the king on Sunday, as the Information Ministry revealed it had recorded 145 cases of insults, fake news and messages that “polluted society” in just one month, both online and elsewhere.
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