Senior Cambodian opposition figure Kem Sokha out of house arrest

Founder of Cambodia National Rescue Party, charged with treason in 2017, cannot leave country or join political activities

Cambodia has freed a prominent opposition figure from house arrest more than two years after he was charged with treason, after attempts by his colleagues to return to the country were thwarted.

Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 and accused of plotting to overthrow the government of strongman Hun Sen, who has ruled since 1985. He was sent to a remote prison, then confined to his house and the surrounding block and prohibited from talking to the media.