MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA ¨C An Australian filmmaker arrived in Sydney on Sunday after a pardon by Cambodia¡¯s king released him from a six-year jail sentence for espionage that he received after flying a drone over an opposition rally.
James Ricketson, 69, was last month found guilty of spying and collecting information harmful to the nation following a trial that was criticized by rights activists.
His arrest in June 2017, after he flew the drone above a rally by the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), came amid a wider crackdown on freedom of expression by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Ricketson, who spent more than a year behind bars, denied the charges and sought a pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni. On Friday, he was released from Phnom Penh¡¯s Prey Sar prison.
Greeted by family and friends at Sydney airport, he told reporters he planned to return to Cambodia.
¡°I¡¯ll be going back as soon as I can but I¡¯ll need to recover obviously,¡± Ricketson said.
His family thanked the king for bringing their ¡°nightmare¡± to an end. Australia¡¯s foreign ministry also thanked Cambodia for the release of Ricketson, who has been visiting Cambodia for more than 20 years.
In a letter to Hun Sen last month, the filmmaker apologized for statements to media that were disrespectful to the long-serving prime minister.
In July, Hun Sen¡¯s Cambodian People¡¯s Party (CPP) claimed victory following a general election in which it was largely unopposed. Rights groups said the vote was neither free nor fair given the absence of a significant challenger to Hun Sen, who has ruled for 33 years.
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