Cambodia Opposition Leader Kem Sokha to Face Trial, Despite Looming EU Sanctions

The former head of Cambodia’s opposition party, Kem Sokha, will be tried for treason, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday, despite the easing of restrictions on his house arrest last week that led some to believe his case could be dropped as part of a bid to avoid looming trade sanctions.

Last week, in a letter sent to the lawyer of Kem Sokha, the former president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), investigating judge Ky Rithy of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said he had “decided to close the investigation” into the case, without providing further details, including if or when it will go to trial.

On Monday, however, Hun Sen made it clear that Kem Sokha’s two-year-old case is going to trial, despite rumors that he could be freed at the behest of King Norodom Sihamoni.

In full: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/trial-11182019170358.html

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