Imprisoned Cambodian-American lawyer and human rights defender Theary Seng was taken to a hospital on Wednesday after experiencing complications related to her most recent hunger strike, a prison department spokesman told Radio Free Asia.
Theary Seng, 52, has been serving a six-year sentence since her June 2022 treason conviction.
An Appeals Court hearing scheduled for Wednesday was delayed while she receives treatment, according to Nuth Savana, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry’s prison department.
“We have kept her in the hospital for convenience in case there is an emergency,” he said. “We continue to monitor her health on a regular basis and if there is an emergency, she is already at the hospital.”
She began the 10-day hunger strike on Dec. 7. Her health issues were announced in the courtroom on Wednesday where supporters, relatives, diplomats and representatives from the U.N. human rights office had gathered for the scheduled hearing.
Appeals Court Judge Yon Narong also postponed the cases of Kak Komphea and Heng Chansothy. Both are detained former senior officials from the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.
Theary Seng, who holds dual Cambodian and U.S. citizenship, often dressed herself in elaborate costumes to argue for democracy and the rule of law at public protests before her conviction.
As the “Statue of Liberty,” she wore a copper-patina hued flowing gown and speckled herself in glitter. She also once dressed as “Lady Justice,” complete with blindfold, scale and sword.
Her U.S.-based attorney Jared Genser called her a “human rights icon” in a Dec. 7 statement about the current hunger strike.
“I am deeply concerned about Theary’s health and safety,” he said. “We hope that the world listens to her brave and peaceful act of protest and stands behind her in calling for the restoration of democracy in Cambodia.”
Previous hunger strike
Her conviction stemmed from her failed efforts in 2019 to bring about the return to Cambodia of political opposition leader Sam Rainsy.
The cases of Kak Komphea and Heng Chansothy are also related to Sam Rainsy’s planned return. Both men were arrested in 2020.
In August 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed then-Prime Minister Hun Sen to free Theary Seng and other activists during a visit to Phnom Penh.
Other U.S. officials, including Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya, USAID Administrator Samantha Power and Ambassador W. Patrick Murphy, have also called for her immediate and unconditional release.
Theary Seng also did a hunger strike in July from a remote jail in northern Preah Vihear province. That began just after the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a judgment calling her detention “arbitrary, politically motivated, and in violation of international law.”
In September, she was transferred from Preah Vihear to Prey Sar II prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The transfer allowed her to work directly with her defense team ahead of this month’s scheduled appeal.
Outside the court on Wednesday, about 10 supporters raised banners demanding that the court release her and the two opposition party officials.
Ny Sokha, president of the ADHOC human rights group, expressed regret over the delay, noting that the activists are suffering while their cases “drag on.”
“Those being jailed are waiting for justice,” he said. “This is sad and it affects the image of the government.”
RFA was unable to reach Russian Hospital Director Ngy Meng for comment on Theary Seng’s condition on Wednesday. The public hospital was founded in 1960 with funding from the Soviet Union.
Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
