Cambodia Grants Royal Pardon to Ex-Opposition Figure Kem Sokha

Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni has granted a royal pardon to former opposition leader Kem Sokha, ending his 27-year sentence for treason in a case that drew widespread international criticism.

The pardon was announced on Monday through a royal decree signed on behalf of the king by Senate President Hun Sen, who is currently serving as acting head of state while the monarch undergoes medical treatment abroad.

Kem Sokha, 72, co-founded the now-defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), once the country’s main opposition movement. He was arrested in 2017 and later convicted in 2023 on allegations that he conspired with foreign powers, particularly the United States, to overthrow the government of former Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Following his conviction, Sokha was sentenced to 27 years in prison, although he served the term under house arrest in Phnom Penh. An appeals court last month upheld both his conviction and sentence, while also imposing restrictions on his political activities and foreign travel.

The royal decree reportedly applies only to the prison sentence and does not automatically remove other legal restrictions placed on the veteran politician.

Kem Sokha’s prosecution had become one of the most prominent symbols of Cambodia’s crackdown on opposition voices over the past decade. The dissolution of the CNRP in 2017 paved the way for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party to dominate national politics.

International rights groups and Western governments, including the United States, had repeatedly criticized the trial, describing the charges against Sokha as politically motivated. Cambodian authorities, however, maintained that the case was handled according to the law and denied accusations of suppressing political dissent.

Prime Minister Hun Manet, who succeeded his father Hun Sen in 2023, described the pardon as part of efforts toward national reconciliation, although several opposition figures remain in exile or face legal restrictions.