Opposition Leader Says Reconciliation Is Near as Treason Trial Resumes

As a treason trial against former opposition leader Kem Sokha resumed on Wednesday after a delay of nearly two years, lawyers attacked each other over the postponement. Sokha also said he believed Prime Minister Hun Sen wanted a reconciliation and that the charges against him would be dropped, while a prosecutor said the only way the trial would finish early was if Sokha admitted his guilt or he died.

Sokha was arrested in September 2017 and the CNRP, the main opposition party he co-founded in 2012, was banned two months later. He is accused of colluding with the U.S. to topple the government, and faces up to 30 years in jail. In the courtroom ahead of the hearing, Sokha told VOD that he believed the court would drop the charges against him so the country could move forward.

“Whenever we have a quarrel, there’s no benefit. We need national reconciliation,” Sokha said. “I believe that there will be a solution. Even the ruling party, samdech also want national reconciliation,” he added, using an honorific for Hun Sen. As he resumed the trial, presiding judge Koy Sao said the delay was due to Covid-19, and congratulated the government for its success in combating the pandemic.

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