A Cambodian court sentenced top opposition leader Kem Sokha to 27 years in prison for treason on Friday, a verdict that rights groups claim is politically motivated. Kem Sokha, a co-founder of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, has long been an adversary of Hun Sen, Asia’s longest-serving leader. Judge Koy Sao announced the sentence, stating, “Kem Sokha… is sentenced to 27 years in prison on the charge of collusion with foreigners committed in Cambodia and other places.” Following the verdict, the 69-year-old was placed under house arrest, where he will be prohibited from meeting anyone outside of his family. His lawyer, Ang Udom, informed reporters that Kem Sokha has one month to appeal the conviction and sentence. Additionally, the court stripped him of his voting rights and barred him from running for political office.
Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 during a midnight operation involving hundreds of security forces. He was accused of devising a “secret plan” in collaboration with foreign entities to overthrow the government led by Hun Sen. Kem Sokha has consistently denied these charges. Critics argue that Hun Sen has curtailed democratic freedoms and manipulated the judicial system to suppress dissent, leading to the imprisonment of numerous opposition activists and human rights defenders. Outside the courtroom, Kem Sokha supporter Chea Samuon expressed his discontent, stating, “I cannot accept this ruling. It is very unjust for him and the people. He is not guilty; this is political pressure.”
US Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy, who attended the court proceedings, condemned the trial and sentence as a “miscarriage of justice.” Last August, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Kem Sokha during a visit to Phnom Penh, where he also expressed concerns about the deteriorating state of democracy in the country during discussions with Hun Sen.
Rights groups assert that Hun Sen has repressed democratic freedoms and fostered a climate of fear in Cambodia. Two months after Kem Sokha’s arrest, the Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP, which had been viewed as the only viable challenger to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). This dissolution enabled the CPP and Hun Sen to secure all 125 parliamentary seats in the 2018 elections, effectively establishing a one-party state. Last year, numerous opposition figures were convicted of treason, some in absentia, as part of a broader crackdown on dissent ahead of upcoming elections. Furthermore, last month, Hun Sen ordered the closure of one of the few remaining independent media outlets in Cambodia after taking issue with a report concerning his son. Chak Sopheap, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, remarked that Kem Sokha’s trial highlighted the “frightening problem of state control over the judiciary in the country.”
Comments are closed for this story.