- The teen reportedly got into an online argument with a pro-ruling party member living in Canada who called his father a traitor. His father was a member of the outlawed opposition group Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
- An hour after the Canadian man forwarded Sovann Chhay’s messages to authorities, approximately 20 armed police officers arrived at the boy’s house. Some were carrying weapons such as AK-47s.
- Six officers entered the house without a warrant, handcuffed Sovann Chhay and dragged him to a vehicle.
- After being charged with incitement and insulting public officials, he now faces up to two years in jail if convicted.
- In October last year, he was also detained for two days after breaking into the CNRP’s abandoned headquarters.
- In April, Sovann Chhay suffered a fractured skull following an attack from two unknown assailants who struck him on the head with a brick.
- His father, Kak Komphear, has been in jail since June last year for being a senior member of CNRP. He used to take Sovann Chhay to opposition party events, which is what started his interest in politics.
- His mother, Prum Chantha, is a human rights activist who has been protesting for the release of her husband and other opposition members.
- Chantha believes that the authorities are targeting her son because she and his father are open and vocal critics of the ruling party. “They want to break my spirit and send a message to other people. They want to show that they are untouchable and if anyone dares to touch them, they will end up like me,” she said. “But I still dare to talk, express my views and protest.”
- Kak Komphear and his son are now among the over 150 people charged with incitement amid the Cambodian government’s ongoing crackdown on dissent.
- In 2014, Sen’s party placed bans on public gatherings and deployed riot police to beat protesters and detain union leaders, according to the New York Times.
- Cambodia officially became a one-party state in 2017 after having CNRP outlawed and suppressing any form of opposition.
- The arrested opposition figures are now facing a closed-door trial for allegedly plotting to overthrow the ruling party.