Cambodia: EU draws criticism over 'inaction' against opposition crackdown

Since the dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, PM Hun Sen's government has arrested hundreds of opposition activists. Analysts say Brussels has failed to exert pressure on the authoritarian regime.

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha returned to the courtroom on January 19 for a politically-motivated trial in which he is accused of treason.

Sokha, 68, was arrested in September 2017, just months before the forced dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the country's only viable opposition party which he co-founded and served as president.

Hundreds of CNRP-aligned individuals and activists have been arrested, jailed, or harassed by authorities since 2017. Many more have fled abroad, joining the party's elected politicians who left for exile after being stripped of their positions.  According to Human Rights Watch's estimates, there are currently 68 CNRP-affiliated individuals in prison, while another 90 have been released on bail pending charges, like Sokha. Three have reportedly died in custody.

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