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Opposition figure freed from prison by Cambodian king

A senior Cambodian opposition politician who spent a year behind bars on subversion charges walked free yesterday from a military prison after receiving a royal amnesty from King Norodom Sihamoni.

Cheam Channy, a former lawmaker of the Sam Rainsy Party, was convicted and sentenced last year to seven years in jail by a military court on charges of trying to form an illegal armed group to topple the government.

"I feel extremely delighted," Cheam Channy, 45, shouted to supporters from inside a car as he was driven outside the prison gates. He had spent one year in jail following his arrest Feb. 3 last year.

Some 100 supporters and family members gathered outside the military prison to greet the politician. Five Buddhist monks conducted a brief ceremony inside the prison before his release to rid the politician of bad luck from his prison stay.

Cheam Channy's detention came amid a series of lawsuits filed by the government against senior opposition figures and social activists last year.

The government's prosecutions drew heavy criticism at home and abroad, with the US, the UN and human-rights groups criticizing the moves as attempts to silence dissent.

Recently, there has been an easing of political tensions. Last week, King Sihamoni ordered Cheam Channy's seven-year term cut by four years. Then on Sunday, the king took the additional step of issuing a royal decree granting the former lawmaker total amnesty following a request from Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Cheam Channy's release came after opposition leader Sam Rainsy and Hun Sen agreed on Friday to a truce in a long-running feud.

Sam Rainsy, currently living in self-imposed exile in Paris, apologized to Hun Sen for an accusation that the prime minister was behind a deadly 1997 grenade attack on a peaceful anti-government demonstration.

Last year, a court sentenced Sam Rainsy in absentia to 18 months in jail on charges of criminal defamation.
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