Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha urges swift verdict in long treason trial: ‘I don’t want to suffer any longer’
- Kem Sokha, co-founder of dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, is accused of conspiring with foreigners to overthrow strongman ruler Hun Sen’s government
- The 69-year-old told judges he wants the two years of proceedings to finish soon as he is suffering back and shoulder pain from long spells sitting in the dock
Cambodia’s top opposition leader called for a swift verdict in his treason trial on Wednesday, after a court ended more than two years of evidence hearings in a case rights groups have said is politically motivated.
Kem Sokha, the co-founder of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, stands accused of conspiring with foreign entities to overthrow strongman ruler Hun Sen’s government.
The trial only began some two years after Kem Sokha’s arrest, and hearings were postponed in March 2020 following coronavirus restrictions.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Kem Sokha told judges he wanted the proceedings to finish soon as he was suffering back and shoulder pain from long spells sitting in the dock.
“I don’t want to suffer any longer … I want it to finish very soon and to receive justice,” he told the court.
Judge Koy Sao at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court announced the end of witness and evidentiary hearings, after more than 60 sessions. The court will begin hearing closing submissions from December 21 after parties submit their written arguments.