The birds were rounded up by police after they shuttered the two rural cockfighting dens on December 4 and arrested Hun Sen's nephew-in-law Thai Phany.
Thai Phany, a Cambodian-Australian citizen, was charged with running an illegal gambling operation - a rare legal move against a member of Hun Sen's powerful family.
But while the raids were welcomed in a country teeming with official corruption, a court order to slaughter all 92 birds set off a flurry of criticism today as netizens cried foul over the animals being given a harsher sentence than the people involved.
"Warrant to kill chickens! Where are the chicken owners, aren't they freed?" Hing Soksan wrote on Facebook, where photos of the slaughter have been circulating.
Also Read
Roeun Nara, Kandal province's deputy police chief, confirmed that the birds were killed yesterday following a warrant from the provincial court.
The court document, seen by AFP today, said the slaughter was ordered "to prevent the offense from happening again and to speed up the investigation proceedings.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content