Cambodian autistic teen jailed for anti government posts

Post Reply New Topic

An argument erupting over politics and memes mocking political leaders in a group chat is generally a low-stakes affair between friends. That is, unless it occurs in Cambodia.

The dangers of venting one’s political frustrations online in an authoritarian context were highlighted this week, as a 16-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder was sentenced to juvenile prison on Monday over content he shared on social media and messaging apps.

The case, say rights advocates, violates local and international laws, and illustrates a “witch hunt” by the Cambodian government against political opponents.

Kak Sovann Chhay, the teenage son of a jailed political opposition figure, was sentenced to eight months in prison on Nov. 1 after a court in the capital Phnom Penh convicted him of “incitement and insult to public officials” based on posts he had made on Facebook and Telegram.

The boy, who has been in jail since his arrest on Jun. 24, will have served four months and 15 days of his sentence when he is due to be released this month

The wider ethics of convicting someone with autism have also been called into question by Chhay’s defense lawyer and rights defenders. Among other issues, Pilorge said the teenager struggled to understand the prosecution’s questions and “seemed confused.”

“The young boy’s mother shared that her son has autism spectrum disorder, yet the court denied multiple requests for an expert examination,” she said, adding that during today’s trial Chhay sat with his heads in his hands as his mother cried in the gallery.

Sopheap said that his conviction was in violation of several domestic laws and international treaties.

So its not that he is being oppressed for being autistic as such.

Its that being autistic makes you more inept than NTs at avoid getting an authoritarian government angry at you.

I think it is more about the government saying to his father we have no compunction about going after your family. That is why I put this in the politics section.