20 Facts About Mu Sochua

Mu Sochua is a Cambodian politician and rights activist.

Mu Sochua was a Member of Parliament for Battambang from 2013 to 2017, a seat which she previously held from 1998 to 2003.

Mu Sochua was a member and Vice President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party until its dissolution, and previously a member of the Sam Rainsy Party prior to its merger with the Human Rights Party.

Mu Sochua is currently one of 118 senior opposition figures serving a five-year ban from politics following a court ruling on 16 November 2017.

In 1972, Mu Sochua's parents sent her to Paris for further studies.

Mu Sochua would remain in exile for the next 18 years.

Mu Sochua joined politics in 1995 as a women's rights activist, citing then US First Lady Hillary Clinton as her inspiration.

Mu Sochua returned to Cambodia in 1989 after 18 years in exile, and has worked as an advocate for human rights, working to stop human trafficking, domestic violence and worker exploitation.

Mu Sochua formed the first organization for women, called Khemara.

At a press conference held on 23 April 2009, Mu Sochua announced she would file a defamation complaint against Cambodian prime Minister Hun Sen with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Mu Sochua added that she only claimed a 500-riel compensation as a token, and a public apology on the part of the head of government.

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

Mu 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.

Mu Sochua lived in the United States for 18 years and attended university there.

Mu Sochua reportedly lost her ability to speak formal Khmer, having left her home country for almost two decades.

Also in 2005, Mu Sochua was honoured with the Vital Voices Human Rights Global Leadership Award for her efforts to stem the tide of human trafficking.

In 2006, Sochua was awarded the Elise and Walter A Haas International Award from the University of California, Berkeley for distinguished record of service in Cambodia and an Honorary PhD in Law from the University of Guelph, Canada.

In 2009, Mu Sochua was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from the Eleanor Roosevelt Project at The George Washington University for leadership in human rights.

In 2010, Mu Sochua was named the 2010 People's Choice Honoree by Global Exchange for their Human Rights Heroes Award.

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