Trial of Cambodian opposition party chief set for next month
Posted Dec 9, 2019 5:57 am.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian court has announced that the trial on treason charges of opposition leader Kem Sokha will begin next month, more than two years after he was arrested.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court said in a statement Monday that the trial of Kem Sokha, president of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, will start Jan. 15.
Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 and charged with treason for having links to a U.S.-based democracy promotion organization. He could be imprisoned for up to 30 years if found guilty.
His party was dissolved by court order in November 2017 in what was widely seen as a political manoeuvr by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen to ensure that his ruling Cambodian People’s Party would face no serious opposition in the 2018 general election.
The Associated Press
