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Former opposition leader Kem Sokha received a royal pardon on Monday, freeing him from serving a 27-year jail sentence for treason in a long-running case, however, he is not allowed to be involved in politics.
Acting Head of State Hun Sen countersigned the Royal Decree pardoning Sokha’s prison sentence, as confirmed by his lawyers, who said that his additional restrictions remain in place, meaning he has not regained full freedom.
“We have already known that Kem Sokha’s case is a political one, and only a political solution can resolve it,” said Meng Sopheary, Sokha’s lawyer.
“He has not received full freedom because he still does not have the right to engage in politics, vote and travel abroad,” she said.
Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote on his Facebook that the granting of the royal pardon to Sokha is another step to strengthen national unity.
Recall that on April 30, Sokha lost his latest appeal against a treason conviction, with the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal upholding the verdict and imposing additional travel restrictions in the long-running case which has been criticised by civil society as a sign of democratic backsliding.
The 72-year-old founder of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party was sentenced to 27 years, which he served in his house in Phnom Penh, after being found guilty of conspiring with the United States to topple the government headed by former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was one of the longest serving premier in the world at the time. His son Hun Manet succeeded him in August 2023. Sokha has denied the treason charges since his arrest in 2017.
Rights group Licadho operations director Am Sam Ath welcomed the decision to pardon Sokha as it reflected the start of Cambodian politicians’ move toward national unity and reconciliation.
“This pardon would ease the domestic political situation, as the international community paid close attention to Kem Sokha’s case,” Sam Ath said. He, however, echoed Sokha’s lawyers’ concerns regarding the restrictions on political activity and voting rights.
Cambodian People’s Party spokesperson (CPP) Chea Thirith said the pardon follows Prime Minister Hun Manet’s request to King Norodom Sihamoni at a time when Sokha’s mother suffers from a severe illness.
“The legal issue is one thing but out of political virtue in a situation where a mother who has gone through hardship is in her final days while her son remains penalized; that is something Samdech Thipadei did not want to see. That is why he requested for this pardon,” he said.
