Cambodia activist briefly detained after protest in shackles

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodian information forces connected Tuesday concisely detained a Cambodian-American lawyer who is simply a salient rights activistic arsenic she walked barefoot adjacent the premier minister’s residence successful Phnom Penh, wearing a prison-style orangish outfit and Khmer Rouge-era ankle shackles.

Theary Seng was connected her mode to a tribunal proceeding and was livestreaming her advancement via societal media erstwhile a fig of uniformed men surrounded her and blocked her way.

Journalists astatine the country accidental information forces past enactment her into a car and took her away.

She was released, soon afterwards, and arrived astatine Phnom Penh Municipal Court for the resumption of her proceedings connected treason charges. She was inactive wearing the orangish outfit, but tribunal officials asked her to region the ankle shackles.

Theary Seng is an outspoken professional of Prime Minister Hun Sen who has been successful powerfulness for 36 years and has kept a choky leash connected each governmental enactment successful the country.

The Cambodian-American lawyer has antecedently utilized covering to marque symbolic points, during the existent ineligible proceedings against her. On Dec. 7, she attended tribunal dressed arsenic a classical Cambodian Apsara dancer, telling reporters she was expressing her content that the proceedings was “political theatre”.

Theary Seng lived done the brutal Khmer Rouge epoch arsenic a child, during which she mislaid some her parents. She near for America wherever she qualified arsenic a lawyer, past returned to Cambodia successful 1995.

She did not instantly clarify the reasons for her carnal quality connected Tuesday, but the usage of the ankle shackles is apt a notation some to the repression of the Pol Pot play and to existent Prime Minister Hun Sen’s past arsenic a mid-level Khmer Rouge commander.

“I’m wearing shackles from my puerility situation during the Khmer Rouge. During the Khmer Rouge, I was detained arsenic a kid with my mom, with my 4 brothers,” she told The Associated Press earlier she was detained. “These are not the nonstop shackles that I wore, possibly, but they’re from the situation wherever I was detained and it’s the shackles from that era.”

At slightest 1.7 cardinal Cambodians are estimated to person died nether the brutal regularisation of the ultra-Maoist question during its astir four-year rule, from April 1975 to January 1979.

Theary Seng is facing charges of conspiracy to perpetrate treason and incitement to perpetrate a felony, which unneurotic transportation a maximum jailhouse condemnation of 12 years. They originate from a failed effort by starring absorption fig Sam Rainsy to instrumentality to Cambodia successful November 2019, aft a play of self-exile. Cambodian authorities allege Theary Seng was progressive successful the trip’s organization. She says she has nary governmental affiliation.

44 different radical are being tried connected the aforesaid charges, but past period a justice ordered Theary Seng’s proceedings divided disconnected from the others.

The trial, which had been suspended since November 2020, is conscionable a tiny portion of a crackdown that began successful 2017 erstwhile the country’s precocious tribunal ordered the Cambodia National Rescue Party dissolved. It is wide believed the enactment was taken to assistance guarantee that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party would triumph the 2018 wide election.

Hun Sen says helium intends to enactment successful bureau until 2028. Last December, helium endorsed 1 of his sons to beryllium his successor.

___ Harmer reported from Bangkok.