Among the 36 are a number of well-known politicians from the opposition party CNRP. Among other things, they are said to have tried to help expelled former politicians to get back to the country.
33 of the convicted were not present, and are wanted. The most famous of them, Sam Rainsy, was sentenced in March to ten years in prison and last year to 25 years in prison for similar crimes. He has been living in exile in France since 2015 to avoid going to prison, and is not alone in being repeatedly convicted.
According to Licadho, the current mass trial was the fifth since November 2020 against a total of 158 opposition figures, many of whom have been convicted multiple times.
Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander, has ruled the country for over 30 years. Hun Sen is exposed to strong international pressure to ease the repression against the opposition.