Politics

Vietnamese Embassy and Consulate Generals in the Kingdom of Cambodia held various significant community activities on January 22 for the occasion of the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival.

Opposition leader Kem Sokha said the United States government did not recommend he start a “Yugoslavia” style revolution in Cambodia and that the Cambodian Center for Human Rights was not used as a platform to instigate a grassroots uprising against Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Kem Sokha, the leader of Cambodia’s outlawed opposition party on Thursday denied allegations that he conspired with the US government, during the fourth day of hearings in his treason charge.

Permit Media, Rights Monitors at Kem Sokha Hearings

Robed in a high-vis vest and crowned with a white hard-hat, Chea Samnang, a 25-year-old construction worker, is proud of working with a Chinese developer to build a China-aided main stadium here.

Last week, Cambodia’s opposition leader Kem Sokha was brought before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on politically-motivated charges of treason. If found guilty, he could serve up to 30 years in prison.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday showed the full video of Kem Sokha’s 2013 speech that is at the heart of his treason trial, according to lawyers present.

A government lawyer called the defense teams’ evidence a “gift” to his case at the end of the third day of a treason trial against banned opposition leader Kem Sokha.

The defense began the proceedings by detailing all 35 pieces of evidence. This included the one-hour video clip of his 2013 speech in Australia, which has already been admitted by the judges.

The defense said that two sections of the 1-hour video – one around 105 seconds and the other 31 seconds – had been edited together.

The third day of the treason trial of Cambodia’s opposition leader Kem Sokha kicked off Wednesday with his defense team submitting dozens of pieces of evidence they say will exonerate their client, as controversy continued over a lack of access to the hearings for members of the media and NGOs.

A former CNRP commune councilor was attacked by two unidentified men on a motorbike in Phnom Penh on Monday, adding to a string of assaults on politicians and activists from the banned political party.

Ambassador Björn Häggmark underlined the importance of labour conditions and skills development during the meeting with Labour Minister Ith Samheng, on 13th January 2020.

The agreement spotlighted how both sides are managing the security aspect of their relationship.

The experts said the trial had been “tainted” by the “clear neglect” of international, human rights and domestic laws. Kem Sokha faced up to 30 years if he is found guilty of conspiring with a foreign power.

Cambodian civil society groups has called on a Phnom Penh court to allow access to the trial of the leader of the nation's outlawed opposition party, after the first day of hearings excluded most journalists and public observers.

Former opposition leader Kem Sokha told the court on Thursday that he did not bring foreigners to invade Cambodia’s territory, nor did he make Cambodia lose any land, according to his lawyers.

U.N. representatives issued a statement on Friday calling the trial of Kem Sokha, the leader of the outlawed opposition, “tainted by irregularities,” and criticized his arrest without a warrant, arbitrary detention and the lack of public access to trial proceedings.

The report said there had been an increase in political prisoners, which is linked to the criminalizing of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, forcing its supporters and activists to live in fear or flee the country.

Three United Nations human rights experts on Friday expressed concerns over the treason trial of Cambodia’s opposition leader Kem Sokha, saying the entire process has been “beset by irregularities” and calling for an end to the charges against him.