Prominent Cambodian opposition figure Kem Sokha has been sentenced to 27 years in detention and is under house arrest, after being found guilty of treason in a case condemned by the United States as politically motivated.
Judge Koy Sao also told the court in the capital Phnom Penh that Mr Kem would be barred from running for political office or voting in elections.
He was arrested in 2017 over accusations he was conspiring with the United States to overthrow self-styled strongman Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades.
Mr Kem, who headed the now-disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), denied the charges, and Washington dismissed the allegations as "fabricated conspiracy theories".
His lawyer, Ang Udom, said his legal team would appeal the verdict.
The treason charges stem from a speech Mr Kem gave in Melbourne in 2013.
W Patrick Murphy, US ambassador to Cambodia, said the case was a miscarriage of justice.
"We call on authorities to allow all Cambodians to enjoy … universal human rights of peaceful assembly and free expression and to participate in building a truly democratic system," he told reporters outside the court.
In a tweet, Australia's ambassador to Cambodia, Justin Whyatt, said Australia was "deeply disappointed" by the decision.
"Australia has consistently called for a fair and transparent resolution in the case. Australian officials observed today's hearing, alongside colleagues from other diplomatic missions.
"Australia will continue its dialogue with Cambodia to encourage political space for genuinely contested elections and to support human rights, democracy and the rule of law."
Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson described that response as "very weak sauce".
"I'm 'disappointed' when someone serves me lukewarm coffee. I expected a higher degree of outrage from DFAT when an opposition leader is sent to 27 years for giving a speech in Australia talking about democratic politics. Canberra can do better than this," he wrote in a tweet.
Naly Pilorge from Cambodian human rights NGO Licadho said the verdict marked another low for political rights in Cambodia ahead of this year's national election.
"We join others in calling for the immediate release of political opposition members and all human rights defenders, which is necessary if Cambodia wants to restore democratic credibility," she said.
Kem's daughter calls for Australia to take action
Mr Kem's daughter, Kem Monovithya, said the decision in her father's case was "predictable" given what he had faced over the past two decades.
"But no matter how many times these traumatic events happen, I can't get used to it," she told the ABC.
"But as a family, we are still committed to the cause because we know there are too many Cambodian families that have been through far worse. At least we are in a position to affect some changes."
She called on the Australian government to take action to help restore Cambodia's democracy ahead of upcoming elections and said she would like a clearer commitment from the ambassador.
"This harsh sentence should be a reminder to Australia and others that their soft diplomacy in the last few years did not work," she said.
"I had the opportunity to meet Senator [Penny] Wong when she was in opposition, I would like to call on her now in her role as Foreign Minister to start taking action."
A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who met with Mr Sokha last year, said later on Friday that the government was "deeply concerned" by the Cambodian court decision.
"Australia continues to raise its strong views about the political situation in Cambodia on a regular basis, including in relation to freedom of expression and association," the spokesperson said.
"The minister has previously raised Kem Sokha's case with the Cambodian government, including directly with Prime Minister Hun Sen in August 2022."
The CNRP was banned ahead of a 2018 election that was swept by the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
CNRP has since been decimated, with many of its members arrested or fleeing into exile in what activists say is a sweeping crackdown designed to thwart challenges to CPP's power monopoly.
Cambodia is due to hold elections in July, with the opposition launching the Candlelight Party last year, which largely regroups members of the CNRP.
Many media outlets critical of Hun Sen have also been shuttered and civil dissent crushed in recent years.
Last month, Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of Voice of Democracy — one of the last independent local news organisations in the country — saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country.
Hun Sen is expected to run in elections in July, but has previously offered support for his eldest son as a potential successor.
His son, Hun Manet, a deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and joint chief of staff, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999.
Cambodian Association of Victoria President Youhorn Chea told the ABC the Cambodian community in Australia was "shocked".
He called on the Australian government to place sanctions on the Cambodian government in response to the ruling.
"When Prime Minister Hun Sen says something, the court just does whatever he says, so it's just not fair at all because the court belongs to the government," Mr Chea said.
Kem ruling 'unfortunate for the country'
Mr Chea, a former mayor of the Greater Dandenong Council in Victoria, told the ABC that Mr Kem represented what many in the Australian diaspora community want for Cambodia — democracy and peace.
"He is a person of peace, he loves democracy, he never talks about coup d'état and so on.
"It [the ruling] is unfair for a person who loves peace and democracy."
Hong Lim, the president of the Cambodian Australian Federation, has in the past organised burning effigies of Hun Sen and was charged with "incitement" in absentia in 2020 but was later acquitted.
He said the court decision demonstrated Hun Sen had gone "berserk" and was determined to keep his grip on power.
"It's rather unfortunate for the country," he said.
Mr Lim, a former Victorian state MP, said many diplomats from Western countries had paid visits to Mr Kem during his long detention, including Australia's former ambassador to Cambodia, Pablo Kang, in 2020.
"I don't think the international community, by doing all that the necessary support Kem Sokha per se, but [they are saying] that Cambodia deserves better … a democratic leader that has been elected."
Cambodia holds elections, but human rights groups have repeatedly said they are not free or fair as opposition parties have been outlawed or repressed prior to the polls.
Mr Lim said the 27-year sentence sent a chilling message to young people who might want to get involved in politics.
"I am just hoping that the whole world protests, and I hope that Australia protests a lot," he said.
"I think they should be taking the lead."
Government spokesperson Phay Siphan told the ABC the case was a matter for the courts.
"The government has got nothing to do with that," he said.
He said criticism the government was repressing the opposition was "just an accusation".
The ABC has contacted the Cambodian justice ministry for comment.
ABC/Reuters
