Kem Sokha

Kem Sokha (Khmer: កឹម សុខា; born 27 June 1953) is a Cambodian politician and activist who most recently served as the President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). He served as the Minority Leader, the highest-ranking opposition parliamentarian, of the National Assembly from December 2016 to January 2017, and previously as the First Vice President of the National Assembly from August 2014 to October 2015.[2][3][4] He represented Kampong Cham as its Member of Parliament (MP) from 2008 to 2017. From 2007 to 2012, Kem was the leader of the Human Rights Party, which he founded.

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Kem. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Sokha.
Kem Sokha
កឹម សុខា
Leader of the Opposition
In office
16 November 2015 – 31 January 2017
Prime MinisterHun Sen
Preceded bySam Rainsy
Succeeded byPosition abolished
First Vice President of the National Assembly
In office
26 August 2014 – 30 October 2015
PresidentHeng Samrin
Preceded byNguon Nhel
Succeeded byYou Hockry
Additional positions
President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party
In office
2 March 2017 – 16 November 2017
DeputyPol Hom
Mu Sochua
Eng Chhai Eang
Preceded bySam Rainsy
Succeeded byNone, party dissolved
Vice President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party
In office
1 April 2013 – 2 March 2017
PresidentSam Rainsy
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPol Hom
Mu Sochua
Eng Chhai Eang
President of the Human Rights Party
In office
22 July 2007 – 1 April 2013
DeputySon Soubert
Pen Sovan
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded bySon Soubert
President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights
In office
3 October 2002 – 1 May 2007
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byOu Virak
Member of the National Assembly
In office
24 September 2008 – 3 September 2017
Succeeded byYou Hockry
ConstituencyKampong Cham
In office
14 June 1993 – 26 July 1998
ConstituencyTakéo
Member of the Senate
In office
1999–2002
Personal details
Born (1953-06-27) 27 June 1953
Tram Kak, Takéo, Cambodia, French Indochina
Political partyCambodia National Rescue Party (2012–2017)
Human Rights Party (2007–2012)
Independent (2002–2007)
FUNCINPEC (1999–2002)
Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party (1993–1999)
Khmer People's National Liberation Front (1992–1993)[1]
Spouse
Te Chanmono
​
(m. 1980)​
Children2, including Monovithya
EducationUniversity of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (M.Sc.)
Royal University of Law and Economics
ProfessionActivist
Politician
Signature

Kem was arrested and imprisoned at a detention centre in Tbong Khmum Province on 3 September 2017 under allegations of treason. In November 2017, the CNRP was dissolved, and 118 of its members, including Kem, were banned from politics for five years. On 10 September 2018, more than a year after his arrest, he was released on bail, and subsequently placed under house arrest. On 10 November 2019, Kem was released from house arrest.

In March 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to 27 years of house arrest.[5]

Education

Kem Sokha has stated to Voice of America in 2018 that he pursued a law degree at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh, but dropped out in his second year before receiving a scholarship to Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) in 1981. He studied at the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, and graduated with a Master of Science degree in chemistry in 1986.[1]

Political career
Kem Sokha in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in August 2022.

His political career began in 1993, when he was elected a representative for Takéo Province; at that time he was a member of Son Sann's Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party. In 1999, he joined the royalist FUNCINPEC and subsequently elected a senator. He resigned from his Senate seat in 2001. In 2002, he founded the Cambodian Center for Human Rights but left that organisation to join politics in 2005. He founded the Human Rights Party, which came third in the 2008 elections.

Kem Sokha is well known for his weekly town hall meetings at local level throughout the country. He was the first to introduce a free and open forum discussing issues concerning civic and political rights, as well as social and economic development, at village level in Cambodia. Kem Sokha is known for his non-violent, political tolerant policy standing on democratic and unity principles. His words are often quoted and repeated by ordinary Cambodians. His phrase "Do Min Do" (literal translation to English: "Change or no change") became the anthem for the Cambodia National Rescue Party's election Campaign in July 2013, which drew an unprecedented amount of youth participation.

On 26 August 2014, Kem was elected by the National Assembly as its First Vice President with 116 votes,[2] the first opposition MP to hold the office. On 30 October 2015, he was ousted from the vice presidency by a vote of 68–0 following disagreements with the ruling party.[3] On 9 September 2016, after months under house arrest, Kem was sentenced to five months in prison after refusing to appear in court for questioning in a prostitution case against him.[6] He was later granted a royal pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni.[7] Following his release, he was officially appointed as Minority Leader.[8] However, the positions of Minority Leader and Majority Leader were abolished altogether by the National Assembly on 31 January 2017 following a proposal by Prime Minister Hun Sen.[4]

On 2 March 2017, Kem was elected president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party at the party's congress, along with three other deputies.[9] Under his leadership, the party made sweeping gains in the June 2017 local elections, winning 482 of 1,646 communes.[10]

Treason allegations

In September 2017, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged Kem with "treason and espionage", and for allegedly orchestrating the 2014 Veng Sreng street protests.[11][12] He was arrested at his home on September 3, 2017.[12] Hun Sen and other Cambodian government officials alleged that Kem was conspiring with the United States of America.[12][13] Kem's lawyers have alleged violations of their client's rights under Article 149 of the Criminal Procure Code.[14] He was released on bail on 10 September 2018, more than a year after his arrest, but was placed under house arrest.[15] He was released from house arrest on 10 November 2019 but is banned from travelling outside the country and taking part in political activities.[16]

See also

References
  1. "Kem Sokha, In His Own Words". VOA Khmer. Voice of America. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  2. "លោក កឹម សុខា ត្រូវបានបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើសជាអនុប្រធានទី១សភា" [Kem Sokha elected as first vice president of National Assembly]. Radio Free Asia (in Khmer). 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. "Sokha stripped of National Assembly vice presidency". The Phnom Penh Post. 30 October 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  4. Kuch, Naren (31 January 2017). "Culture of Dialogue Faces Official Demise". The Cambodia Daily. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  5. "Cambodia opposition leader Kem Sokha sentenced to 27 years". Al Jazeera. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. "Court rules Kem Sokha guilty". The Phnom Penh Post. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  7. "ព្រះមហាក្សត្រប្រទានលើកលែងទោសប្រធានស្តីទីបក្សប្រឆាំង លោក កឹម សុខា" (in Khmer). Radio Free Asia. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  8. "Sokha to Replace Rainsy in Parliamentary Position". The Cambodia Daily. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  9. Meas Sokchea & Erin Handley (3 March 2017). "New era of CNRP begins". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  10. "Both Sides Claim Victory in Cambodian Commune Elections". Voice of America. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  11. Titthara, May (September 7, 2017). "Sokha implicated over Veng Sreng". The Khmer Times. Prime Minister Hun Sen has promised to take legal action against opposition leader Kem Sokha for allegedly orchestrating the 2014 Veng Sreng street protests.
  12. Agence-France Presse (September 5, 2017). "Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha arrested for treason". The Japan Times.
  13. Oung, Sereyvuth; Lipes, Joshua (September 6, 2017). "Cambodia's Hun Sen Vows to Lead For One More Decade". Translated by Muong, Nareth. Radio Free Asia. Prak Sokhorn claimed that the video showed Kem Sokha had been conspiring with the U.S. 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.
  14. Chheng, Niem; Kijewski, Leonie (September 7, 2017). "Sokha's lawyers slam lack of representation". The Phnom Penh Post. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017.
  15. "Cambodia releases opposition leader Kem Sokha on bail". British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC News. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  16. "Kem Sokha Released From House Arrest, Still Prohibited From Leaving The Country And Engaging In Political Activity". VOA Cambodia. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
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