Treason trial of Cambodian opposition head Kem Sokha resumes

19/1/2022 19:09

        A treason trial against Cambodia's opposition leader resumed Wednesday, two years after it was adjourned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
        
        Kem Sokha was head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party when he was arrested in September 2017 on the basis of an old video showing him telling a seminar about receiving advice from U.S. pro-democracy groups. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years' imprisonment.
        
        The charge was widely seen as part of a political strategy by Prime Minister Hun Sen to sweep away all opposition before the 2018 general election, which his party won unanimously amid accusations the polls were neither free nor fair.
        
        The popular opposition party was seen as a genuine electoral threat to Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party. Kem Sokha's arrest was swiftly followed by the dissolution of the party by the Supreme Court, after the government accused it of plotting a coup.
        
        Hun Sen, who has held power for 36 years, has said he intends to stay in office until 2028 and has endorsed one of his sons to succeed him.