The Cambodian authorities’ treason charges against Kem Sokha, the leader of the country’s banned main opposition party, are bogus and should be dropped ahead of his trial hearing tomorrow, Amnesty International has said.
Sokha, the President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), faces up to 30 years imprisonment if found guilty of treason at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
Sokha, 66, was arrested in a midnight raid on his home in Phnom Penh in September 2017 and later charged with “conspiracy with a foreign power”, or treason. He is accused of conspiring with the United States government to illegally overthrow the Cambodian government.
