Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha once again will have his day in court as his trial for alleged treason resumed on Wednesday (January 19), more than 52 months after he was first arrested on the charge. 

Sokha, 68, was president of the country’s only viable opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), when it was forcibly dissolved in November 2017, only weeks after his arrest. 

He faces up to 30 years in jail if found guilty, though most analysts don’t think prison time is likely. More probably, he will be convicted but then swiftly handed a royal pardon by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who wants to resurrect Sokha as a political servitor or force his final resignation from politics.