Cambodian PM: Opposition leader's human rights center must be 'shut down'

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Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Sunday ordered authorities to investigate the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) established by jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha.

Sokha, 64, was arrested on September 3 and charged with treason for allegedly attempting to topple the government.

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha (L) is escorted by police at his home in Phnom Penh on September 3. /AFP Photo

He is currently imprisoned and awaiting trial on a treason charge, a crime that carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

On November 16, the Supreme Court dissolved Sokha's Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) for its involvement in his alleged treasonous acts. The dissolution left 55 CNRP lawmakers and 5,007 commune councilors without their positions.

In an old video to his supporters in Australia, Sokha told them that he created the CCHR in 2002.

Speaking to more than 4,000 garment factory workers during a get-together in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen ordered the Interior Ministry to look into the CCHR because it was established by a Cambodian who received advice from a foreign power to overthrow the legitimate government.

"The Cambodian Center for Human Rights in Phnom Penh must be shut down because it was founded at the behest of a foreign power," he said.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency