Cambodia's King Pardons Kem Sokha, Former Opposition Leader, Shortly After Court Upholds 27-Year Prison Sentence
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has pardoned opposition leader Kem Sokha from sedition charges weeks after his 27-year prison sentence was upheld, ending his house arrest since his controversial 2023 conviction.
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has pardoned former opposition leader Kem Sokha from sedition charges just weeks after an appeals court in Phnom Penh upheld his 27-year prison sentence. Senate President Hun Sen signed the royal pardon on behalf of the king, who is currently undergoing prostate cancer treatment. Kem Sokha, co-founder of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), has been under house arrest since his conviction for sedition in March 2023 after being accused of conspiring with foreign entities to overthrow then-Prime Minister Hun Sen. The United States previously stated that Kem Sokha's conviction was based on a "fabricated conspiracy theory." Kem Sokha is among the few remaining opposition figures still in Cambodia, as many others fled the country following the Supreme Court's dissolution of the CNRP in 2017. The current Cambodian government, led by Hun Manet (Hun Sen's son), denies allegations that it targets the opposition and maintains that those convicted are law violators. Prime Minister Hun Manet called the pardon "another step toward strengthening national unity."