Jailed opposition party member Cheam Channy is scheduled to be released from military prison this morning, following a pardon issued Sunday evening by King Norodom Sihamoni.
“I am very happy—just like I was reborn,” said Cheam Channy’s wife, Chum Sieng Lieng. “I thanked King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen. I will never forget their kindness.”
The royal decree, dated Sunday and signed by the King, absolves Cheam Channy entirely.
King Sihamoni also issued a pardon to opposition leader Sam Rainsy, paving the way for his return from self-imposed exile in France.
The pardon comes shortly after Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a letter Thursday asking King Sihamoni to reduce Cheam Channy’s seven-year prison sentence by more than half.
Friday marked the one-year anniversary of Cheam Channy’s arrest and detention in military prison, where he was incarcerated after being found guilty of fraud and forming a so-called illegal armed force last August.
Cheam Channy, a former opposition party lawmaker and a civilian, was found guilty in the military court on Aug 9 of forming a secret army and of tricking people into buying positions in that army.
Various rights organizations, as well as the US State Department and the EU, have condemned his detention. Both the US and the EU have said the court decision raised questions about the competence and independence of Cambodia’s judiciary system.
News of Cheam Channy’s upcoming release was met with surprise Sunday evening.
“It was a fast process that I didn’t anticipate,” said Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, who was recently released from prison following the dropping of defamation charges against him by Hun Sen.
“As Prime Minister Hun Sen has stated, I like dialogue between Khmer and Khmer,” Kem Sokha said.
“I don’t like the phrase ‘international pressure,” he added.
