Supreme Court Upholds Conviction of Two Opposition Officials
Published on 13 July 2026
This morning the Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold the convictions of Mer Seng Hor, also known as Kea Visal, deputy head of the Nation Power Party (NPP) in Kampong Cham province, and Khem Chanvannak, acting head of Candlelight Party in Phnom Penh.
Seng Hor’s verdict comes after he has already served a two-year prison sentence for incitement to discriminate and public insult under Articles 494, 496, and 307 of the Criminal Code. He was arrested in March 2024 and convicted in August that year in relation to Facebook posts he made deemed critical of the government’s democratic track record. He was released in March 2026 from Phnom Penh’s Police Judiciary (PJ) prison upon the completion of this sentence.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court commenced hearings in Seng Hor’s appeal after the Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld his conviction and fines in December 2025. In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to pay a four million riel fine (around US$1,000) as well as 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 initial complaint. Today’s verdict upholds his conviction and outstanding fines. Despite this, Seng Hor has remained committed to political activism following his release from prison.
Chanvannak, whose sentence is expected to be completed later this month, was arrested in January 2024 prior to the country’s Senate elections. He was convicted by the Phnom Penh Capital Court to two and a half years in prison for forgery and the use of a forged document under Articles 626, 627, and 628 of the Criminal Code relating to his use of election documentation on 7 November, 2023. Chanvannak is currently serving his sentence in Tbong Khmum Provincial Prison after being transferred from Phnom Penh’s Correctional Centre-1 (CC1) in February 2026. As of today, he has been detained for 910 days and is among 122 Prisoners of Interest documented by LICADHO.
