Phnom Penh: The lawyer for jailed union leader Rong Chhun is looking at applying for bail for his client so that he can get the treatment he needs for an eye condition. Som Sokong told EAC News that doctors say the condition will get worse unless Chhun has eye surgery, for which he’ll need to secure bail.

Chhun was sent to the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital last week for a consultation about his right eye, after he complained to authorities that he was having difficulty with his vision. According to the Directorate General of Prisons, doctors decided that surgery was needed to prevent the condition spreading to Chhun’s left eye.

His lawyer, Som Sokong, says, “Because he has been convicted, the normal bail conditions do not apply, so we are in the stage of investigating the matter with the judge to see if we can apply for bail. We will seek for any ability we have for him to get the treatment he needs.”

Justice Ministry spokesperson, Chin Malin, says in the case of a health condition, the lawyer or the accused can apply to the court for bail. He told EAC News, “As a matter of law, the accused, as well as the lawyer, have the right to request, but the decision is up to the judge to decide whether or not to allow bail and examine the actual condition of the accused”.

Rong Chhun was arrested in August 2020 after he made comments about a land dispute involving 106 families in Tbong Khmum along the border with Vietnam. He was sentenced to two years in prison last month for “inciting serious social unrest”.