PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) -- The United
Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia,
Surya P. Subedi, welcomed today the granting of a royal pardon to the
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy, just ahead of the elections due
to take place on 28 July 2013.
Sam Rainsy, the leader of the
Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was tried in absentia in January
2010 on charges of destruction of property and racial incitement and
sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in one case and 10 years’
imprisonment in another, and had remained in exile.
“I was very
pleased to learn that the royal pardon was granted by His Majesty
Norodom Sihamoni, the King of Cambodia, at the request of Prime Minister
Samdech Hun Sen,” the Special Rapporteur said in a statement released
today.
“I now hope that with this development, the Government
will take the necessary action in order to allow Sam Rainsy to play a
full part in the national politics of Cambodia.”
“In my last
report to the UN Human Rights Council on electoral reform*, I had
reiterated the importance of a level playing field for all political
parties to compete on an equal footing, and had called for political
solution to be found to enable Sam Rainsy, as the leader of the
opposition, to play a full role in Cambodian politics,” Mr Subedi
underscored.
“Today I applaud the Royal Government of Cambodia
for having taken this important step towards reconciliation, which is in
the interests of stronger and deeper democratization of Cambodia,” the
Special Rapporteur said.
Serath
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