Cambodian court upholds opposition leader's treason conviction

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian court on Thursday upheld the treason conviction and 27-year prison sentence for opposition leader Kem Sokha, whose 2017 arrest opened a broad government crackdown on political opponents in the country.

The Phnom Penh Appeals Court also barred Kem Sokha from leaving the country for five years after he finishes his sentence, which he is serving under house arrest.

Cambodia has long been accused of using the judicial system to persecute critics and political opponents. The government insists it promotes the rule of law under an electoral democracy, but political parties seen as potential rivals have been dissolved by the courts or had their leaders jailed or harassed.

Kem Sokha, 72, was convicted in 2023 following a long pretrial detention. He was accused of conspiring with the United States to topple the Cambodian government. The primary evidence against him was a video of him discussing political advice from U.S.-based pro-democracy groups.

His Cambodia National Rescue Party had been the only credible opponent of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, but it was dissolved by the Supreme Court after his arrest and was unable to contest the 2018 election.

The party of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen subsequently swept all the seats in the National Assembly. His son, Hun Manet, succeeded him in the position in 2023 but has not liberalized the system.

Speaking before the appeals court earlier this month, Kem Sokha declared he had never conspired with any foreign country at the cost of the lives of Cambodian citizens or the loss of national territory and that he had acted in a spirit of nonviolence and national unity.

His lawyer, Pheng Heng, told reporters he regretted the court’s decision and that he and his client would have to decide whether to appeal further to the Supreme Court. He urged the government to promote national reconciliation.

Western embassies in Cambodia expressed concern over the ruling.

“We would like to see Kem Sokha released and his political freedoms restored,” the British Embassy said in a statement. “ We believe this would help strengthen democracy in Cambodia.”

In a separate political case, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday convicted 33 people involved in opposition to a controversial border development agreement. Those convicted included social media users, opposition politicians and political activists.

The Cambodia human rights organization Licadho reported they were convicted of incitement to commit a felony -- a broad-brush charge often used in political cases -- and received punishment ranging from 18-month suspended sentences to two-years imprisonment as well as fines of $1,000.

Son Chumchuon, a lawyer for six of the defendants, said Thursday that those who received the longest sentences were likely to be released soon because of time already served in pretrial detention.

The 33 had been linked to protests against the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area, a framework established in 2004 to coordinate trade and migration among the three Southeast Asian neighbors.

Critics of the pact claimed it favored foreign interests and granted valuable land concessions to Vietnam, a sensitive issue because of historical antagonism toward Cambodia’s bigger eastern neighbor.

Cambodia withdrew from the agreement in 2024 but continued its clampdown on critics, making more than 100 arrests.