16/03/2023 (Agence Europe) – The European Parliament has called on the Cambodian authorities to release opposition leader Kem Sokha and all opposition activists convicted or detained on political grounds “immediately and unconditionally” with the adoption of a joint resolution (https://aeur.eu/f/5v0 ) on Cambodia on Thursday 16 March in Strasbourg by 496 votes to 11 with 36 abstentions. MEPs call on the authorities to ensure free and fair elections in July 2023, allowing all political parties to conduct free and transparent election campaigns within the framework of a more inclusive national election commission. The largest opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), should be reinstated immediately in preparation for its participation in the 2023 elections. Another of the European Parliament’s demands is the immediate reinstatement of VOD (an independent media outlet), which was shut down in February (LC)