In a case that rights groups have called politically motivated, Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha received a 27-year sentence for treason on Friday.
"Kem Sokha... is sentenced to 27 years in prison on charge of collusion with foreigners committed in Cambodia and other places," Judge Koy Sao said at the court in Phnom Penh.
The court also stripped him of his right to vote and barred him from running for political office. Cambodia is set to hold elections in July.
After the verdict, Kem Sokha was taken to his home, where he will be placed under house arrest and only allowed to meet family members.
Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 over accusations he conspired with the United States to overthrow Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades. Kem Sokha, who headed the now-disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party, had denied the charges. Washington called the allegations "fabricated conspiracy theories."
The US ambassador to Cambodia called the conviction a "miscarriage of justice."
More to come on this breaking news story.
sms/zc (AFP, Reuters, AP)
