The Cambodia National Rescue Party yesterday completed its task of removing pictures of its leadership from its billboards across the country in response to the passage of widely criticised legal amendments that effectively outlawed their former president’s association with the party.

Speaking yesterday, CNRP lawmaker Kim Sour Phirith said workers rushed to remove images of Sam Rainsy from the signs after an amendment to the law on political parties was passed late last month.

The law bans parties from “using the voice, image, written documents or activities of a convicted criminal . . . for the interests of the party”, and from “accepting or conspiring with a convicted criminal to do activities in the interests of the party”.

It was widely seen as targeting former CNRP President Sam Rainsy, who has been convicted in several seemingly politically motivated cases and lives in France, where he fled to avoid arrest in 2015.

Sour Phirith said that the party was continuing work to erect new signs.