PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian court resumed a detained opposition leader’s appeal proceedings on Wednesday (April 8), his lawyer said, more than 18 months after the latest hearing for the politician convicted of treason.
Kem Sokha was sentenced in 2023 to 27 years in prison for treason, but was ordered to serve the time under house arrest.
The co-founder of the dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, Kem Sokha has repeatedly denied the charge since his 2017 arrest.
He was convicted of trying to topple the government of long-ruling former prime minister Hun Sen, who is the father of the current leader and remains an influential figure in national politics.
A lower court also stripped the 72-year-old of his political rights and banned him from meeting foreigners or anyone who is not a family member.
The Phnom Penh appeals court began hearing his appeal in January 2024, but the process had been frozen since September that year.
On April 8, Kem Sokha’s lawyer Pheng Heng said the appeal hearing resumed with closing arguments by a prosecutor who urged the judges to uphold the conviction.
“The case has been delayed for a long time and is unjust,” the lawyer told reporters outside the court.
His client was ready for a “political resolution” to end his case and bring about a “national reconciliation between Cambodians”, Pheng Heng added.
Rights groups say the prosecution of Kem Sokha was designed to bar him and his popular opposition movement from politics, after the party made electoral gains against the entrenched Cambodian People’s Party of Hun Sen.
Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades, stepped down in 2023 and handed power to his eldest son, current leader Hun Manet. - AFP
