A Cambodian court is expected to give a verdict on Friday in the treason trial of top opposition leader Kem Sokha, in a case critics say is designed to bar him from politics as the country prepares for a July election.
Arrested in 2017 in a midnight swoop involving hundreds of security forces, Kem Sokha is accused of hatching a “secret plan” in collusion with foreign entities to topple the government of longtime ruler Hun Sen.
The 69-year-old joint founder of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has long been a foe of Hun Sen — one of the world’s longest-serving leaders who critics say uses the courts to stifle opponents.
