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Phnom Penh Appeals Court Upholds Kem Sokha Conviction, Adds 5-Year Travel Ban

Rights groups say the ruling shows courts are used to sideline opposition.

A Cambodian police vehicle which is believed to carry former Cambodia National Rescue Party's President Kem Sokha heads out from an appeals court after a court session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Journalists try to photograph as a vehicle which is believed to carry former Cambodia National Rescue Party's President Kem Sokha heads out from an appeals court after the court session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Journalists photograph after a court session of former Cambodia National Rescue Party's President Kem Sokha outside an appeals court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Am Sam Ath, center, monitoring manager of LICADHO, a human rights organization, speaks to journalists after a court session of former Cambodia National Rescue Party's President Kem Sokha outside an appeals court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Overview

  • The Phnom Penh Court of Appeal, which ruled Thursday, upheld Kem Sokha’s 27-year conviction and added a five-year international travel ban, his lawyer said.
  • Judges extended his de-facto house arrest in the capital, and he remains stripped of political rights and restricted to contact with relatives unless prosecutors approve.
  • His legal team will consider a further appeal after the court rejected his request to drop the charge.
  • Sokha’s appeal began in January 2024, paused in September 2024 without a clear reason, and resumed in April 2026 after a long delay.
  • Human Rights Watch and UN experts call the case politically motivated, noting it follows his 2017 arrest and the Supreme Court’s dissolution of his party before the 2018 one-party election.