Cambodian Supreme Court upholds incitement conviction of opposition politician, sparking anger

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's Supreme Court on Friday upheld the incitement conviction of a prominent opposition politician while suspending the remainder of his sentence, keeping him out of prison but unable to practice politics for years and renewing questions about the government's efforts to quash criticism.

The decision against Rong Chhun, a top adviser to the Nation Power Party, was met with anger by some 300 supporters from around the country who had gathered outside the Supreme Court complex in Phnom Penh.

“Even though he is not in prison, I'm saddened that his freedom has been restricted and he has become a sub-citizen, meaning he has no right to vote or participate in politics,” said Nek Ratha, a 55-year-old from the capital.

“The verdict is hard for us to accept because he is not free, and he has done nothing wrong.”

The 56-year-old had been found guilty last year of inciting social unrest after meeting with villagers displaced by government construction projects, in what was widely seen as one of many legal moves taken by the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet to stifle criticism.

Rong Chhun told his supporters the verdict was “completely unfair” and accused the court of following orders of the government rather than the rule of law.

“If the powerful leader wants black, the court will paint it black for them,” he said. “And if the powerful wants white, the court will paint it white for them.”

Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the ruling demonstrates Cambodia's courts “lack of independence from the ruling party.”

"Hun Manet’s government should stop using the courts to silence the political opposition and instead reopen space for parties and civil society groups to operate freely ahead of next year’s election,” she said.

Cambodia’s Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra told The Associated Press that it was “not appropriate to characterize a judicial decision as an executive decision.”

“The Royal Government respects the separation of powers, the independence of the courts, and the rule of law,” he said in a written response to a query. “Any party who disagrees with a court ruling should address the matter through the legal remedies available under Cambodian law, rather than through political assumptions.”

Under almost four decades of autocratic former Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia was widely criticized for human rights abuses that included suppression of freedom of speech and association. He was succeeded in August 2023 by his American-educated son, Hun Manet, but there have been few signs of political liberalization.

Sophal Ear, a Cambodian political scientist in the U.S., called the decision against Rong Chhun “evidence of continuity rather than change under the transition from Hun Sen to Hun Manet.”

“A high-profile case like this inevitably becomes a test of how much political space exists under the current leadership and whether the transition has produced any meaningful changes in governance,” he said. “Many people will conclude that the leadership transition has so far produced more continuity than reform.”

Under the decision, Rong Chhun will be prohibited from any involvement in politics for five years, including voting or standing as a candidate, and will be banned from traveling abroad for three years, the remainder of his original four-year sentence, his attorney Em Chantha told reporters. He had also been free while his appeal was pending.

Supreme Court decisions are final, but Rong Chhun said he and his attorney would study the verdict in detail to decide whether there would be a chance to ask Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni for a pardon.

Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press reporter Anton L. Delgado contributed to this report from Bangkok.

Rong Chhun, a top adviser to the Nation Power Party and a prominent opposition politician, speaks to supporters outside Cambodia's Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sopheng Cheang)

Rong Chhun, a top adviser to the Nation Power Party and a prominent opposition politician, stands with supporters outside Cambodia's Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sopheng Cheang)

Rong Chhun, a top adviser to the Nation Power Party and a prominent opposition politician, reacts to supporters outside Cambodia's Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sopheng Cheang)

Rong Chhun, a top adviser to the Nation Power Party and a prominent opposition politician, stands with supporters outside Cambodia's Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sopheng Cheang)

Rong Chhun, a top adviser to the Nation Power Party and a prominent opposition politician, stands with supporters outside Cambodia's Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sopheng Cheang)

Rong Chhun, a prominent Cambodian opposition politician, right, leaves his Supreme Court hearing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Supporters greet Rong Chhun, a prominent Cambodian opposition politician, center, as he arrives at his hearing at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 19, 2026--

NEURA Robotics ("NEURA"), the pioneer in cognitive robotics and creator of the Neuraverse, will exhibit at Automate 2026, North America's largest automation and robotics trade show, taking place June 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. NEURA will occupy a twin island booth featuring live demos across its full industrial robot portfolio, from collaborative robots (cobots) and mobile autonomous transports to humanoids, all connected through the Neuraverse platform.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260619441783/en/

Physical AI Built for Industry, Today and Tomorrow

NEURA arrives at Automate with a clear thesis: Physical AI must be trained, validated and continuously improved upon in the real world, not just in simulation. The company offers one of the broadest portfolios of cognitive and industrial robots available from a single platform, designed to support industrial customers across their full automation journey, while providing system integrators, developers and OEMs with an open ecosystem for innovation and deployment.

At the heart of NEURA's ecosystem is the Neuraverse, an open, cloud-based platform connecting robots, developers, and industry partners worldwide. Every deployment contributes to a continuously growing pool of physical intelligence, enabling the entire ecosystem to become smarter with every robot, at every site. Alongside, NEURA Gyms form a global network of real-world training facilities where partners train and validate robots across all cognitive robot form factors for their specific use cases, before committing to full industrial deployment. Each Gym combines physical robot training with high-fidelity simulation, with the resulting data feeding directly into the Neuraverse. Together, they enable faster deployment, lower adoption risk and a scalable path toward Physical AI at industrial scale.

Full Product Range on Display

Visitors to NEURA's booth at Automate will see this platform in action across live demonstrations featuring the company's full portfolio: the 4NE1 flagship humanoid, the compact 4NE1 Mini, the MAIRA cognitive robot across industrial applications including bin picking and precision tasks, the LARA arm in palletizing and PCB handling, the MAV+ mobile autonomous transport robot and NEURA's quadruped robot. Applications developed collaboratively with select industrial partners will also be on display, alongside interactive exhibits of the NEURA Gym training environment and the Neuraverse digital twin and marketplace.

"As we expand into the U.S., we are proud to bring one of the broadest cognitive robotics portfolios in the industry to Automate, from collaborative robots to humanoids, all connected through the Neuraverse platform," said David Reger, Founder and CEO of NEURA Robotics. "American manufacturers are ready for automation that actually moves the needle, and NEURA is here to deliver it. Already trusted and proven in real-world industrial environments, our full-stack robotics are closing operational gaps and advancing the buildout of scalable automation solutions at the forefront of innovation.”

CEO David Reger to Take the Stage

David Reger will appear at two sessions on Tuesday, June 23 at the Humanoid Robot Forum

Record Funding, Real Commercial Traction

NEURA's participation at Automate comes shortly after the company announced a landmark Series C financing of up to $1.4 billion, which is the largest ever raised by a full-stack robotics company. The financing brought together global leaders across AI, robotics, compute, manufacturing and industrial infrastructure, including Tether, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Amazon, NVIDIA, imec.xpand, Bosch, Schaeffler, European Investment Bank, Lingotto Horizon, InterAlpen Partners and others.

The round will fund NEURA's global expansion, including a determined push into the U.S. market, anchored by a formal strategic collaboration with AWS and a co-development partnership with Qualcomm. The funding will also support the worldwide rollout of NEURA Gyms, with U.S. locations planned. The company's existing order book and strategic deployment pipeline already exceed $1 billion.

About NEURA Robotics

NEURA was founded on the belief that the next major technology revolution will not happen on screens, but in the physical world. As aging populations, labor shortages and growing demand for skilled work reshape economies worldwide, Physical AI will become essential to sustaining productivity, prosperity and quality of life.

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Metzingen, Germany, NEURA Robotics is a global Physical AI company building the technologies that enable intelligent machines to learn, adapt and work alongside humans in the real world. The company develops cognitive robots that can see, hear, feel and learn, as well as the software, AI and data infrastructure required to deploy them at scale.

Today, a large share of global GDP is generated through physical work. NEURA’s mission is to make physical skills scalable by dramatically reducing the time required to teach machines new capabilities and deploy them globally. Through its cognitive robots, NEURA Gyms and the Neuraverse, an open ecosystem where robots continuously learn and share skills, the company is building the foundation for a future in which intelligent machines help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges. NEURA Robotics is building Physical AI from Europe, together for the world.

David Reger and NEURA product family