Opposition leader in Cambodia sentenced to 27 years in prison EU countries demand more data transparency from Airbnb and CO

Prominent opposition leader Kem Sokha has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for high treason in Cambodia. According to the Khmer Times newspaper, the 69-year-old was initially placed under house arrest in the capital Phnom Penj after the verdict was announced on Friday.

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) spoke of a “politically motivated conviction” and called for the politician’s release. Sokha is barred from running for political office or voting in elections until further notice, HRW said.

“This ruling is an unequivocal warning to opposition groups months before the general election,” said Amnesty International. Cambodia will hold elections in July. Longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in office in the Southeast Asian country since 1985. He rules with an iron fist. Freedom of expression, assembly and the press are severely restricted. Only members of the Cambodian People’s Party (CCP) sit in parliament. The opposition is hindered in its work. Corruption is a big problem.

Sokha is the former leader of the now-defunct Cambodian main opposition party, CNRP. In 2017, he was arrested for allegedly colluding with the US to overthrow the Cambodian government. At the start of the trial in 2020, he categorically rejected all allegations. He was later surprisingly released from prison and placed under temporary house arrest. The Supreme Court dissolved Sokha’s party shortly after his arrest.

The US ambassador to Cambodia, Patrick Murphy, spoke out against the verdict. Murphy wrote on Twitter that Sokha’s trial was based on a “fabricated conspiracy”. Sokha is currently only allowed to talk to his lawyers and family, his daughter Monovithya Kem said on Twitter. (sda)