The fight for Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) lawmaker Mu Sochua’s parliamentary immunity is set to end this morning when the Court of Appeal hands down a final ruling more than three years after she was stripped of it.

In June 2009 Sochua unsuccessfully tried to sue Prime Minister Hun Sen for allegedly making derogatory comments about her during a speech in Kampot province.

Soon afterward the National Assembly stripped Sochua’s immunity, paving the way for Hun Sen to counter-sue for defamation, a case the premier won.

Sochua has long fought to have her name cleared completely in parliament and has continued to fight the case through the courts for three years.

At the time, rights groups criticised the government’s actions, calling it an abuse of power.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Boyle at [email protected]