Cambodian king pardons former opposition leader

He was accused of conspiring with ‌a foreign power to topple then-premier Hun Sen. Last month a court in ‌Phnom Penh upheld his 27-year sentence and banned him from leaving the country for five years once that term ends.

Cambodia's king has pardoned former ​opposition leader Kem Sokha for ​a treason conviction, just weeks after ‌he ​lost an appeal to overturn that verdict, according to a royal decree released on Monday. Kem Sokha, 72, co-founder ‌of the defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party, has been held under house arrest since he was found guilty of treason in March 2023. He was accused of conspiring with ‌a foreign power to topple then-premier Hun Sen. Last month a court in ‌Phnom Penh upheld his 27-year sentence and banned him from leaving the country for five years once that term ends. The royal decree said the pardon only applied to the original sentence.

A ⁠lawyer for ​Kem Sokha did ⁠not immediately answer phone calls seeking comment on the pardon. Kem Sokha's case was among the most ⁠prominent in a sweeping crackdown on opponents of the Cambodian People's Party, which has ruled Cambodia ​for more than four decades. The United States said at the time ⁠that his conviction was based on "fabricated conspiracy theories".

He was among only a few remaining opposition figures ⁠in ​the Southeast Asian country, after many others fled in the wake of a 2017 Supreme Court ruling that banned the CNRP. Cambodia's government, now headed by Hun ⁠Manet, the U.S.- and British-educated son of the still influential former premier Hun Sen, denies ⁠targeting opponents ⁠and says those convicted were law-breakers. Hun Manet signed the decree on behalf of King Norodom Sihamoni, who is undergoing treatment for ‌prostate cancer.