Cambodia’s monarch has issued a royal pardon for former opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was serving time for a treason conviction, according to an official decree made public Monday.
The 72-year-old Kem Sokha, who helped establish the now-disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party, had remained under house arrest following his treason conviction in March 2023. Authorities alleged he worked with foreign entities in a plot to remove then-premier Hun Sen from power.
Just last month, a Phnom Penh court confirmed his 27-year prison term and imposed a five-year travel restriction to take effect after his sentence concluded. The royal decree specified that the pardon covers only his original punishment.
Legal representatives for Kem Sokha could not be reached for immediate response regarding the pardon.
Kem Sokha’s prosecution stood out as one of the most high-profile cases in an extensive campaign against rivals of the Cambodian People’s Party, which has maintained control over Cambodia for more than 40 years.
American officials characterized his conviction as rooted in “fabricated conspiracy theories” when it was announced.
He remained one of the few opposition voices left in the Southeast Asian nation, as many others had fled following a 2017 Supreme Court decision that dissolved the CNRP.
Cambodia’s current administration, led by Hun Manet, the American- and British-educated son of the still-powerful former premier Hun Sen, rejects claims of political persecution and maintains that convicted individuals violated the law.
Hun Sen, who currently holds the position of senate president, executed the decree on behalf of King Norodom Sihamoni, who is receiving medical care for prostate cancer.
