Mu Sochua

Mu Sochua (; born 15 May 1954) is a Cambodian politician and rights activist. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Battambang from 2013 to 2017, a seat which she previously held from 1998 to 2003. She was a member and Vice President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) until its dissolution, and previously a member of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) prior to its merger with the Human Rights Party. As a member of FUNCINPEC, she also served as Minister of Women and Veterans' Affairs in Hun Sen's coalition government from 1998 to 2004. She is currently one of 118 senior opposition figures serving a five-year ban from politics following a court ruling on 16 November 2017.

Early life Sochua was born in Phnom Penh to a Sino-Khmer father and a Sino-Khmer mother and received her early education at the French lycée. In 1972, Sochua's parents sent her to Paris for further studies. A year later, she relocated to San Francisco to join her brother there. When the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in 1975, her parents vanished. Sochua would remain in exile for the next 18 years. While Sochua was in the US, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the San Francisco State University in 1979, and a Master of Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981 before returning to Cambodia to help rebuild a society shattered by war. She joined politics in 1995 as a women's rights activist, citing then U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton as her inspiration. "I have nothing against Samdech the Prime Minister. As a Member of Parliament, I respect him. But the words of Samdech the Prime Minister said in public affect my honour and my dignity as a Khmer woman. With this complaint, I only want justice and honour, as a Khmer woman", Sochua said. She added that she only claimed a 500-riel (0.12 dollar) compensation as a token, and a public apology on the part of the head of government.

Following Sochua's announcement, Ky Tech, legal adviser to the government of Cambodia, was expected to file a counter-suit for gravely defaming the PM. The Ministry of Justice was expected to request the President of the parliament to vote to remove Sochua's parliamentary immunity. With only 25 percent of the votes, the SRP would be powerless to prevent further action against her – including imprisonment. Sochua's letter calling for support from the international community – "As I walk to prison" — was circulated around the World Wide Web.

On two previous occasions, when SRP party leader Sam Rainsy's parliamentary immunity was removed, he fled Cambodia under threat of criminal charges and went into exile in France.

2017 Threats to end the "rebellion" Mu Sochua flees Since the arrest of Kem Sokha Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that "It is not done yet" and warns that the "rebellion" crackdown will not stop with Sokha. On the 3 October 2017 Mu Sochua fled the country after a tip off that she will be arrested.

Sochua was detained by Malaysian immigration authorities on 7 November 2019, shortly before a planned return to Cambodia.

Personal life Sochua was married in 1984 to an American Scott Leiper, and is a mother of three daughters, including women's rights activist, Devi Leiper O'Malley. Scott Leiper died in 2016. Sochua lived in the United States for 18 years and attended university there. She also reportedly lost her ability to speak formal Khmer, having left her home country for almost two decades. She holds American dual citizenship.

In 2015, Sochua was honored by her alma mater, San Francisco State University, as the Alumna of the Year.