Kem Sokha: Cambodia’s opposition leader has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for treason

Cambodia’s most prominent opposition leader has been sentenced to 27 years in prison under house arrest for treason.

Kem Sokha, the former leader of the now-defunct Cambodian National Rescue Party, was also barred from standing or voting in the elections.

He was accused of plotting with foreign powers to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Hun Sen is one of the oldest autocrats in the world, who has been in power since 1985.

Cambodia will hold general elections in July. Most people expect that he will run again, although some believe that he plans to hand over power to his eldest son, Hun Manet.

Kim Sokha, 69, was first arrested in 2017, based on a 2013 video where he said he had support from US pro-democracy groups.

And said. Patrick Murphy, the US ambassador to Cambodia, said on Friday that the case is a miscarriage of justice.

Reuters news agency reported that Kim Sokha’s lawyer, Ang Odom, said his legal team would appeal the verdict.

Human rights groups and Western governments have condemned the charges against him as baseless and politically motivated.

“It was clear from the start that the charges against Kem Sokha were nothing more than a politically motivated ploy by Prime Minister Hun Sen to sideline Cambodia’s main opposition leader and decimate the country’s democratic system,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. . .

“Sending Kem Sokha to prison is not just about destroying his political party, it is about crushing any hope that a real general election can be held in July.”

Few would be surprised by this ruling, as the Cambodian courts are widely seen as being under Hun Sen’s control.

Kem Sokha, a former human rights defender, led the Cambodian National Rescue Party. Her popularity had soared in the previous elections, to the point where she was on the verge of ousting Hun Sen and his party.

His party was banned ahead of the 2018 elections. Most of its leaders have either been tried or forced into exile.