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Mr Sokha, the president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested on September 3 in “flagrante delicto” or “red-handed” by police officers.
He was later charged with the act of “treason” by the Cambodian court in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code for his “conspiracy with foreign power to harm the country”.
There are claims and counter-claims, arguments and counter-arguments, regarding Mr Sokha’s case. The CNRP believes that the case is “politically motivated”, while the government claims it is in accordance with the rule of law.
On September 6, CNRP members of the National Assembly issued a statement saying Mr Sokha’s case is not “flagrante delicto”, hence his parliamentary immunity has to be respected.
On the same day, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice issued a statement saying the case is “flagrante delicto” and based on the collected evidence it falls into the act of “conspiracy with a foreign country to harm the country”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation convened a meeting with heads of diplomatic missions to Cambodia to clarify the Cambodian government’s position on the issue and ask other countries not to interfere into Cambodian politics.
