Watchdog Urges Cambodia To Drop Charges Against Opposition Figure Sokha

Watchdog Urges Cambodia to Drop Charges Against Opposition Figure Sokha

The Cambodian authorities should drop the charges against political opposition leader Kem Sokha and allow him to resume his activities, a prominent international rights watchdog said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2019) The Cambodian authorities should drop the charges against political opposition leader Kem Sokha and allow him to resume his activities, a prominent international rights watchdog said on Tuesday.

"The Cambodian authorities should immediately and unconditionally dismiss all charges against the political opposition leader Kem Sokha and let him resume his political activities," the Human Rights Watch said.

In 2017, Sokha, the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was charged with "colluding with foreigners" and arrested at his residence in Phnom Penh. He spent a year in a prison along the Vietnamese border and was further released under house arrest due to worsening health.

Though he was later released at the beginning of November, he is still banned from taking part in any political activity in Cambodia.

On November 9, the Cambodian government introduced a series of repressive measures, including the possibility of arrest for those who help opposition leaders return to the country.