The United States says it is "deeply concerned" at the conviction of a prominent Cambodian land rights campaigner who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on insurrection charges.
In a statement Monday, the State Department characterized the sentence against Mam Sonando as "harsh" and called on the Cambodian government to immediately release the 71-year-old.
A Cambodian court on Monday convicted Sonando of inciting villagers to try to form their own state following a land dispute in eastern Cambodia earlier this year.
Sonando denied the charges. His radio station, known as Beehive Radio, sometimes broadcasts material critical of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since 1985.