Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was yesterday granted a royal pardon, effacing a 27-year prison sentence for treason, a month after an appeals court upheld his conviction.
Kem Sokha, 72, the co-founder of the defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), had been under house arrest since he was convicted of treason in March 2023, after a long spell in pretrial detention.
The royal decree, signed by Senate President Hun Sen on behalf of King Norodom Sihamoni, who is currently in China for medical treatment, comes after years of criticism of Sokha’s treatment by the United Nations, Western governments, and human rights groups.
As Cambodianess reported, the decree removes the remainder of Sokha’s prison sentence but does not overturn the Appeal Court ruling, handed down on April 30, that upheld his conviction. It also keeps in place a ban on him taking part in politics or leaving the country for five years after his sentence was over.
“We have already known that Kem Sokha’s case is a political one, and only a political solution can resolve it,” said Meng Sopheary, Sokha’s lawyer, as per Camboja News. “He has not received full freedom because he still does not have the right to engage in politics, vote, and travel abroad.”
