Justice Ministry spokesman Chin Malin said that he too was not concerned by Amnesty International’s report, because international organisations habitually accuse the government of having a political purpose whenever any opposition member is jailed.

“When they see the arrests or implementation of sentences against the opposition, they say it is from political pressure, but this conclusion is not scientific – it is not the case that the implementation of laws against the opposition is always political,” Malin said, attributing rises in arrests to improved enforcement.


Commune elections are due nationwide on Sunday and will provide the first indication of support for the two parties and their approaches since 2013, noted John Ciorciari, a Cambodia scholar at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy.

“This type of ‘lawfare’ is nothing new in Cambodia but has become more important for the CPP over time. It is a more sophisticated way to subdue dissent than relying on force alone,” Ciorciari said.

“The government may have a prohibitive edge in the courthouse, but the real battle is in the courtroom of public opinion,” he said. “The opposition will of course welcome Amnesty’s report on the eve of elections, when voters will have their chance to impose those costs.”