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Cambodia Opposition Leader Released on Bail

by VOA News

   Former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leader Kem Sokha was
   released on bail Monday. The opposition figure was jailed on treason
   charges a year ago.

   "He was released on bail and he is under monitoring by the court," a
   government spokesman told Reuters.

   Reuters also quoted Kem Sokha's daughter as saying the 65-year-old
   political prisoner is under house arrest and in ill health.

   The government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled for 33 years,
   began a crackdown late last year on opposition parties, including
   having the Cambodian Supreme Court dissolve the CNRP, ahead of
   elections in July.

   With no significant challengers, Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party
   claimed a sweeping victory in a vote widely criticized as flawed and
   anti-democratic.

   Following the election, opposition figures jailed in the run-up to the
   vote have been released, including 14 CNRP members late last month.