Rights groups and UN experts urged the government to drop the prosecution and restore Sokha’s political rights to ensure legitimacy of future elections.

At 72, Sokha was convicted in 2023 of allegedly conspiring with the United States to topple the government, a case centered largely on a video in which he discussed political advice from U.S.-based pro-democracy groups.

Sokha has been detained since his 2017 arrest on treason and foreign-countries collusion charges, with a UN rights body labeling his pretrial detention arbitrary and politically motivated in 2018.

Rights groups and foreign diplomats criticized the ruling as disappointing and warned it could undermine the legitimacy of Cambodia’s 2027 commune elections and 2028 national elections.

HRW and other rights advocates have called for quashing the conviction, Sokha’s release, and restoration of his political rights to bolster electoral legitimacy.

Rights groups and HRW urged donor governments to condition international support and demand the full reopening of political space before providing technical assistance for upcoming elections.

Kem Sokha, the Cambodian opposition leader and former head of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, had his March 2023 27-year sentence upheld by the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal on April 30, 2026, and was also hit with a five-year international travel ban, effectively extending his de facto house arrest.

UN rights experts had previously characterized Sokha’s trial as artificially prolonged and politically motivated, highlighting a pattern of misusing laws against political rivals.

The Appeals Court upheld the lower court ruling on April 30, 2026, despite appeals for political resolution and concerns from rights groups about political motivation.

Civil society and UN experts view the case as politically motivated and indicative of democratic backsliding and shrinking space for opposition in Cambodia.

HRW and UN experts have raised concerns about irregularities and repression in Cambodia’s electoral process and the legitimacy of elections under the current political climate.

Human Rights Watch reported the conviction and travel ban as weaponizing the criminal justice system to suppress dissent and freedom of expression.