Rights groups decry conviction of autistic Cambodian teen

By SOPHENG CHEANG and DAVID RISING
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Rights groups are urging Cambodian authorities to release an autistic teenager who was sentenced to eight months in prison for social media posts critical of the government. Human Rights Watch said Tuesday the teenager’s case was being misused to intimidate his opposition activist parents. Kak Sovannchhay, 16, was convicted Monday of incitement to commit a felony and public insult by a municipal court in Phnom Penh for comments he had made in a Telegram chat group defending his father, a senior political opposition member who is himself in custody facing charges, and for sharing Facebook posts critical of the government and Prime Minister Hun Sen.