The Phnom Penh Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of opposition leader Kem Sokha on April 30, 2026, maintaining a 27-year prison sentence and extending the terms of his confinement.
In addition to confirming the sentence originally imposed in March 2023, the court extended Sokha’s existing de facto house arrest and introduced a recent five-year ban on international travel. The ruling concludes a protracted legal process that Human Rights Watch has characterized as a politically motivated effort to neutralize the former president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
Sokha, now 72, has been stripped of his political rights, including the ability to vote or contest elections, since his initial arrest in 2017. Human Rights Watch has called on the Cambodian government to quash the conviction and immediately restore Sokha’s freedom and political standing.
Legal Proceedings and Detention
The legal case against Sokha began on September 3, 2017, when he was arrested by Phnom Penh police and members of the personal bodyguard unit of then-Prime Minister Hun Sen. He was subsequently charged with treason and “colluding with foreigners” under Article 443 of the Cambodian criminal code, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years.
Following his arrest, Sokha spent more than a year in Correctional Center III, a prison located in Tboung Khmum province. In June 2018, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reviewed the case, declaring his pretrial detention “arbitrary” and “politically motivated,” and urged the government to release him without conditions.
Although Sokha was moved to house arrest in September 2018, the government continued to restrict his movements and associations. The trial was delayed for several years, a timeline that UN human rights experts described as “artificially prolonged.” Following his 2023 conviction, the court prohibited Sokha from communicating with anyone other than his immediate relatives, whether in person or via digital platforms, without explicit permission from prosecutors.
The appeals process began in January 2024 but was suspended in September of that year without a provided justification. The hearings only resumed in April 2026, leading to the current ruling.
Political Landscape and Electoral Control
The prosecution of Sokha coincided with a systemic dismantling of the political opposition in Cambodia. In November 2017, the government-controlled Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the CNRP. The court’s chief justice at the time was a member of the central committee of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
This dissolution forced many senior opposition figures into exile and cleared the path for a series of elections without significant competition. In the July 2018 elections, the ruling party secured all 125 seats in the National Assembly. Subsequent local elections in 2022 were marked by reports of vote tampering and counting irregularities.
The 2023 national elections took place after the government banned the Candlelight Party, the primary remaining opposition group. UN human rights experts described the pre-election environment as “extremely disconcerting,” noting that the restrictions severely undermined the credibility of the entire process.
Dynastic Transition and International Pressure
The legal pressure on Sokha has persisted through a transition of power within the ruling party. Following the 2023 elections, longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen transferred the premiership to his son, former army commander Hun Manet. In April 2024, Hun Sen was appointed president of the Senate following elections that observers noted were marred by bribes and threats.
Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, stated that the legitimacy of the upcoming 2027 commune elections and the 2028 national elections is contingent upon the government ceasing the use of the judiciary to punish political rivals.
Lau has urged international donor governments to escalate their response to the court’s ruling, suggesting that technical support for future Cambodian elections should be withheld until the government takes concrete steps to reopen the political space.
