Kem Soha, leader of the liberal opposition in Cambodia, was sentenced to 27 years in house arrest on charges of treason. Cambodian authorities believe he is involved in collusion with the US government to overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in office since 1985.
The oppositionist’s lawyers plan to appeal the verdict. “He is under house arrest, he is deprived of all political and civil rights … This is not justice,” commented on the verdict of the court, Mr. Sohi’s lawyer Ang Odom (quoted from Archyde.com).
The American authorities called the reason for the persecution of the oppositionist, because of which he was under arrest since 2017, “a fabricated conspiracy theory.” “We call on the authorities to allow all Cambodians to enjoy … the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech, and to participate in building a truly democratic system,” said US Ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy. The verdict was also condemned by representatives of Human Rights Watch Asia.
The court forbade Kem Sohe to participate and vote in the elections in the country. In 2016-2017, Mr. Sokha was the highest-ranking opposition parliamentarian in Cambodia. He led the Cambodia National Salvation Party, banned by the country’s supreme court in 2017.
Research Center Freedom House classifies modern-day Cambodia as a “not free country” with extremely limited political and civil liberties. The rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen is one of the longest in the world, human rights organizations criticize him for seizing power in Cambodia, suppressing the media and political opposition. During the civil war in 1967-1975 he was one of the commanders of the Khmer Rouge
On the political situation in Cambodia – in the material “Kommersant” “Cambodia has chosen irremovability.”