Cambodian mass trial against government opponents reopens

By SOPHENG CHEANG
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A mass trial of critics and opponents of Cambodia’s government has resumed amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the country. Only six of 44 defendants summoned by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court turned up at Tuesday’s trial session. Among those defendants at the reopened trial was a Cambodian-American lawyer who called the hearings a “political theater”. The case, which comes amid a wave of defeats for democratic reformers in Southeast Asia, is a reminder that many countries in the region have judiciaries that are used by governments to harass and punish their opponents. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power for 36 years and says he intends to stay in office until 2028. Last week, he endorsed one of his sons to be his successor.