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Several embassies and rights groups expressed disappointment on Thursday after opposition leader Kem Sokha lost his latest appeal against a treason conviction in a long-running case criticised as a sign of democratic backsliding.
The Phnom Penh Court of Appeal upheld his 2023 conviction and barred him from travelling abroad for five years, following a prosecution request to increase the severity of the sentence. The ruling leaves him with a final avenue of appeal at the Supreme Court.
The 72-year-old founder of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party was sentenced to 27 years under house arrest in Phnom Penh over allegations he conspired with the United States to topple the government of long-time former Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose son Hun Manet now holds the post. Sokha has denied the charges since his arrest in 2017.
Several embassies released statements on Thursday, including Australia, which called the decision “deeply disappointing,” and the European Union delegation, which expressed concern and called for political pluralism in Cambodia.
“We would like to see Kem Sokha released and his political freedoms restored,” the British Embassy said in a statement. “We believe this would help strengthen democracy in Cambodia.”
The United States, whose representatives have attended court proceedings, has not issued a statement on Sokha since his conviction in 2023. The U.S. ambassador at the time said the case, “based on a fabricated conspiracy, is a miscarriage of justice.”
German Ambassador Stefan Messerer said the ruling “does not dispel the concerns that have accompanied these proceedings over many years.”
Canadian Ambassador Christian DesRoches said he regretted the court’s decision, citing the importance of political opposition, civil society and a free press to democratic governance.
Rights groups also criticised the ruling.
Human Rights Watch called the case a “bogus prosecution” and urged the government to release Sokha and restore his political rights.
Deputy Asia director Bryony Lau said upcoming commune elections in 2027 and national elections in 2028 would lack legitimacy if courts continued to be used against political opponents.
Am Sam Ath, operations director at rights group Licadho, called for dialogue and negotiation to resolve political tensions, adding that international observers have cited democratic backsliding since Sokha’s arrest and his party was dissolved.
Other opposition figures, including Yem Ponhearith, president of the Progressive Democratic Party, called for reforms to ensure judicial independence.
Sokha’s lawyer Pheng Heng said he would discuss with his client whether to appeal to the Supreme Court, calling the decision regrettable.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A lower court had previously stripped Sokha of his political rights and barred him from meeting foreigners or anyone outside his family. United Nations experts have said the case is politically motivated and reflects a broader pattern of legal action against opposition figures.
*This story was updated on the morning of May 1 to correct the spelling of the Canadian ambassador’s name.
