Kem Sokha

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Kem Sokha (2016)

Kem Sokha ( khm. កឹ ម សុខា; born June 27, 1953 ) is a Cambodian politician and activist, most recently he was president of the National Rescue Party of Cambodia (CNRP). From December 2016 to January 2017 he was opposition leader in the National Assembly and before that from August 2014 to October 2015 first Vice-President of the National Assembly. He represented the Kampong Cham constituency in the National Assembly from 2008 to 2017 . From 2007 to 2012 he was the leader of the human rights party he founded.

Sokha is charged with alleged treason. In November 2017, the CNRP was disbanded by the Cambodian Supreme Court for inciting demonstrations, and 118 of its members, including Sokha, were banned from political activity for five years.

education

Kem Sokha holds a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and a law degree from the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh .

Political career

Sokha and his colleagues at a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Ambassador William A. Heidt in Phnom Penh on January 26, 2016

Sokha's political career began in the national elections of 1993 when he was elected MP for Kandal Province ; at that time he was a member of Son Sann's Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party . In 1999 he joined the royalist FUNCINPEC and was elected senator for it. In 2001 he resigned from this office and in 2002 founded the Cambodian Center for Human Rights . In 2005 he left the organization and founded the Human Rights Party, which became the third largest party in the 2008 national elections.

Kem Sokha became famous for his weekly local town hall meetings across the country. He was the first to establish a free and open forum to discuss civil and political rights as well as social and economic development. He is known for his nonviolent, politically tolerant policies based on democratic and community principles. He is often quoted by ordinary Cambodians. His statement "Do Min Do" (literally translated "change or no change") became the slogan of the National Rescue Party of Cambodia for the election campaign in July 2013 and attracted an unprecedented number of young people.

On August 26, 2014, the National Assembly elected Sokha as First Vice President with 116 votes; he was the first member of the opposition to hold this post. On October 30, 2015, he was removed from the vice presidency by 68 votes to 0 after disputes with the ruling party. On September 9, 2016, after months of house arrest, Sokha was sentenced to five years in prison for refusing to testify against him in a prostitution case. He was later pardoned by King Norodom Sihamoni . After his release, he was officially designated a minority leader. However, the positions of majority and minority leaders were revoked by the National Assembly on January 31, 2017 at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

On March 2, 2017, Sokha was elected President of the National Rescue Party of Cambodia , along with three other MPs . Under his leadership, the party made big gains in the 2017 local elections, winning 482 out of 1,646 municipalities.

Charge of high treason

In September 2017 the Phnom Penh City Court charged him with treason and espionage, and he had also orchestrated the 2014 protests on Veng Seng Street in Phnom Penh. He was arrested at his home on September 3, 2017. Hun Sen and other members of the government accused Sokha of colluding with the United States. Sokha's lawyers alleged violations of their client's rights under Article 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Sokha faces 30 years imprisonment. Parliamentarians from 24 countries called for the opposition leader to be released immediately. He was released on bail on September 9, 2018 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b លោក កឹ ម សុខា ត្រូវ បាន បោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើស ជា អនុប្រធាន ទី ១ សភា ( Kem Sokha elected as first vice president of the National Assembly). In: Radio Free Asia . August 26, 2014.
  2. a b Sokha stripped of National Assembly vice presidency. In: The Phnom Penh Post . October 30, 2015.
  3. ^ A b Culture of Dialogue Faces Official Demise. In: The Cambodia Daily . January 31, 2017.
  4. Court rules Kem Sokha guilty. In: The Phnom Penh Post. September 9, 2016.
  5. ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ ប្រទាន លើកលែងទោស ប្រធាន ស្តីទី បក្ស ប្រឆាំង លោក កឹ ម សុខា. In: Radio Free Asia. 2nd December 2016.
  6. Sokha to Replace Rainsy in Parliamentary position. In: The Cambodia Daily. December 6, 2016.
  7. Meas Sokchea, Erin Handley: New era of CNRP begins. In: The Phnom Penh Post. March 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Both Sides Claim Victory in Cambodian Commune Elections. In: Voice of America . 5th June 2017.
  9. May Titthara: Sokha implicated over Veng Sreng. In: Khmer Times . September 7, 2017 (Quote: Prime Minister Hun Sen has promised to take legal action against opposition leader Kem Sokha for allegedly orchestrating the 2014 Veng Sreng street protests ).
  10. a b c Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha arrested for treason. In: The Japan Times ( Agence France-Presse ). 5th September 2017.
  11. Kem Sokha arrested for alleged high treason. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . 2nd September 2017.
  12. Sereyvuth Oung (Translation: Nareth Muong, Joshua Lipes): Cambodia's Hun Sen Vows to Lead For One More Decade. In: Radio Free Asia . September 6, 2017 (Quote: Prak Sokhorn claimed that the video showed Kem Sokha had been conspiring with the US since 1993 to overthrow Hun Sen and told ambassadors that the opposition leader's video statement was deemed in flagrante delicto, allowing police to arrest him despite his parliamentary immunity ).
  13. Niem Chheng, Leonie Kijewski: Sokha's lawyers slam lack of representation ( Memento from September 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). In: The Phnom Penh Post. 7th September 2017.
  14. Ulrike Putz: Cambodia: Opposition leaders face 30 years of imprisonment in the jungle. In: Lucerne newspaper . 15th September 2017.
  15. MPs demand the release of Kem Sokha. In: Nau . 4th December 2017.
  16. Niem Chheng: Sokha released with conditions. In: Phnom Penh Post. September 10, 2018.