Cambodia's opposition leader charged with treason for 'conspiring with US to topple government'

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Cambodia's opposition leader has been formally charged with treason and could face up to 30 years in jail if convicted.

Kem Sokha was arrested last weekend for allegedly conspiring with the United States to topple Cambodia's government.

Mr Sokha had been expected to lead his Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in next year's election in a strong challenge against the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for more than 30 years.

In a message from prison, he wrote: "I may lose freedom, but may freedom never die in Cambodia."

He had been charged with "colluding with foreigners" under Article 443 of Cambodia's penal code, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said in a statement.

"The act of secret collusion with foreigners is an act of treason," it added.

The evidence the government presented is a video of Kem Sokha from 2013 in which he tells supporters of the CNRP he has had American support and advice for his political strategy to win power.

One of the opposition leader's lawyers, Pheng Heng, said what appeared in the video was no crime.

"The legal procedure is wrong and the charge isn't correct," he said. "What he talked about was elections in a multi-party democratic way."

Mr Sokha's arrest came amid a crackdown on the media. Radio stations among the few mass media to carry voices critical of the government were shut down for alleged breaches of regulations, and the English-language Cambodia Daily, also independent of the government, was forced out of business after being presented with a huge but disputed tax bill.

The arrest and growing pressure on independent media and rights groups have drawn condemnation from the United States and other Western countries, which have raised doubts over whether a general election next year can be fair.

But Hun Sen, one of Asia's longest serving rulers, has won support from China, which has made him one of its closest regional allies and provided billions of dollars in infrastructure loans.

Mr Sokha's predecessor as party leader, Sam Rainsy, was found guilty of defamation in absentia. He lives in exile in France to avoid the conviction, which he says was politically motivated.

Additional reporting by agencies