Forty-five countries urge Cambodia to conduct free vote, release opposition leader

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen reacts to a journalist's question as he walks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull before the start of their bilateral meeting during the one-off summit of 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Sydney, Australia, March 16, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Forty-five countries called on Cambodia on Wednesday to reinstate the main opposition party, release its jailed leader and ensure a July general election is free and fair.

A statement on the human rights situation in Cambodia read by New Zealand on behalf of a group of 45 countries, including the United States, Germany, Australia and United Kingdom, said previous optimism had been "replaced by deep concern" regarding a decline in civil and political rights in Cambodia.