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Opposition leader Kem Sokha has always denied the allegations against him
Photo: Heng Sinith/AP
Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha has been sentenced to 27 years in prison in a trial that human rights activists say was politically motivated.
He was found guilty of treason and cooperation with foreign forces on Friday.
The 69-year-old is a constant opponent of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for decades.
Sokha will never again be allowed to run for political office
"Kem Sokha has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for collaborating with foreigners, which he committed in Cambodia and abroad," Judge Koy Sao announced in a court in the capital Phnom Penh.
The defendant would also be deprived of his civil rights and would never again be allowed to run for political office.
Kem Sokha is a co-founder of the now defunct opposition National Rescue Party of Cambodia (CNRP).
He had already been arrested in 2017 in a night police operation involving hundreds of officers.
The 69-year-old has always denied the allegations against him, activists spoke of a politically motivated process.
They accuse long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen of continually restricting democratic rights in the country and creating a climate of fear.
Immediately after the verdict, the US ambassador to the Southeast Asian country criticized the verdict.
Both the trial and the verdict were a clear "miscarriage of justice," said Patrick Murphy.
muk/AFP
