Cambodia opposition leader released from prison

Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha has been released from prison as the country's strongman ruler loosens his grip on opponents after sweeping one-sided elections.

Opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party leader Kem Sokha gives a speech to supporters. Source: Getty Images AsiaPac

Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha has been released from jail early this morning, one year after he was detained on treason charges.

Sokha's lawyer Chan Chen confirmed his release from a remote border prison, as the country's strongman ruler Hun Sen loosens his grip on opponents after sweeping one-sided elections. 

"Kem Sokha returned home at 3:30am," he said. 

A court official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Kem Sokha was freed on bail although his lawyer could not immediately confirm the conditions of his release. 

Sokha was arrested in September last year and accused of treason.

The charges were widely seen as politically-motivated and two months later his Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party -- the only serious rival to Hun Sen - was disbanded by a court.

That left the ruling party to win all 125 parliamentary seats in July's election, turning the country into a one-party state and extending Hun Sen's 33-year stay in office.

Since the polls, Hun Sen has begun to release critics from jail, a common relaxation of his grip on power that has followed election wins throughout his time in office.