Cambodian teen jailed for Telegram posts vows to fight on

PHNOM PENH • A teenager with autism who was jailed for writing messages that were considered insulting to the Cambodian government vowed to continue "to fight for patriots" after he was released from prison yesterday.

The son of a jailed opposition figure, 16-year-old Kak Sovann Chhay was arrested in late June for posts on a private group on the Telegram messaging app - a move that drew alarm from rights groups over the treatment of children with disabilities.

In a statement, three United Nations rights experts condemned Kak Sovann Chhay's case as a "shameful nadir in the authorities' continuing campaign of intimidation and violence against" critics of the Cambodian government.

Strongman leader Hun Sen is one of the world's longest-serving leaders and has been in power for 36 years, during which critics say he has wound back democratic freedoms and used the courts to stifle opposition.

Last week, a court ruled that Kak Sovann Chhay's messages constituted incitement and were insulting to public officials, and sentenced him to eight months in prison. He had already been in custody for four months and the remainder of the term was suspended for two years.

Yesterday, the teenager walked out of jail and was met by his tearful mother and a handful of supporters, who put garlands around his neck. The group then went to a nearby Buddhist temple, where a monk blessed him by splashing water on his head as he prayed.

"I am released and have freedom, but I hope I will be able to continue to fight," he told reporters. "I will fight for the patriots to help the nation."

His father Kak Komphea is a former member of the dissolved Cambodian National Rescue Party and has been in jail since last year.

He is among more than 150 opposition figures facing a closed-door trial for allegedly agitating for the toppling of the ruling party.

While happy about her son's release, activist Prum Chantha, 44, said the teen is still under the court's supervision. "The charges against him have not been dropped - this is called walking out from a jail into a prison without walls," she said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE