PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Reuters) – A Cambodian court on Friday convicted opposition leader Kem Sokha of treason and sentenced him to 27 years of house arrest.
The verdict of the country’s most prominent non-exile opposition politician, widely condemned by human rights groups and foreign governments, comes just four months before the general election. Kem Sokha’s arrest in September 2017 prompted a fierce campaign by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government to use the courts, widely believed to be influential, to crack down on dissent. started. Since then, most of Cambodia’s other senior government officials have fled to avoid prosecution, a move widely seen as politically motivated.
The Cambodian National Salvation Party, led by Kem Sokha, was seen as an election threat against Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2017, and his arrest came about 10 months before the country’s last general election. The Supreme Court dissolved the party shortly thereafter and its members were expelled from parliament.
The government has denounced an old video of Kem Sokha speaking at a seminar and being advised by US pro-democracy groups as evidence of collusion with foreign forces to seize power illegally.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Khoi Sao said Kem Sokha, with the support of foreign powers, organized the people under the cover of human rights and politics and launched a “color revolution” aimed at overthrowing the legitimate government. . He has a maximum sentence of 30 years.
The court said Kem Sokha was banned from all political activities, including voting, and from visiting Cambodians or foreigners outside his family. He can only leave home with court permission.
His lawyer, Ahn Udom, told reporters he would appeal within a month.
Legal Groups Condemn US Judgment
Human rights groups condemned Friday’s court ruling.
Phil Robertson, associate director of Asia at Human, said: “The indictment against Kem Sokha is a political move by Prime Minister Hun Sen to alienate key opposition leaders in Cambodia and eliminate the country’s democratic institutions. It was clear from the beginning that it was nothing but a motive ploy.” rights watch. “Sending Kem Sokha to prison would not only mean destroying his party, but ending his hopes for a real general election in July.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in his statement that he was “disappointed” by the verdict. “The continued crackdown on political opponents and independent media by the Cambodian royal family ahead of the July elections is very concerning,” Turk said.
The US Embassy in Cambodia also said it was “deeply concerned” by the conviction. US Ambassador Patrick Murphy attended Friday’s hearing along with representatives from other Western countries.
“The years-long process to silence Kem Sokha based on a fabricated conspiracy is a misuse of justice,” read a US statement emailed to journalists.
