Cambodia Lifts Travel Ban on Former Opposition Leader Kem Sokha

PHNOM PENH, July 26, 2026 (KPT) – Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni has granted a royal pardon lifting a five‑year ban on former opposition leader Kem Sokha from leaving the country, according to a Royal Decree issued July 24. The decree, signed on the recommendation of Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, removes the travel restriction imposed under a final criminal judgment by the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal on April 30. It specifies the pardon applies only to Sokha’s prohibition on foreign travel and does not erase other penalties handed down by the court. The move follows a royal pardon granted in May, weeks after the Court of Appeal upheld Sokha’s treason conviction. Sokha, 72, co‑founded the now‑dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), once the country’s main opposition force. He was arrested in 2017 and convicted of treason in March 2023, receiving a 27‑year sentence over allegations he conspired with a foreign power to overthrow the government. Rights groups have denounced the case as politically motivated, saying Sokha’s prosecution marked a broader crackdown on dissent. The latest pardon eases restrictions on the veteran politician but leaves intact his conviction and lengthy sentence, underscoring the limits of royal clemency in Cambodia’s tightly controlled political landscape.