The Phnom Penh Municipal Court is considering whether to accelerate the treason trial of Kem Sokha by increasing the number of hearings each week, according to the defence.

Chan Chen, one of Sokha’s four lawyers, said after his February 23 hearing that the defense had requested the court to expedite the trial. He said the charge of conspiracy with a foreign power had been levelled against his client for more than four years and that the delay was affecting his rights.

Chen said they had requested that the hearings for Sokha – former president of the Supreme Court-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) – be held three days a week rather than on just one half day.

“We insist that the court increase the number of hearings to provide justice to my client. We have been asking for this since the beginning of the trial, and today the judge said he would consider the request and take a look at the timetable for the hearings. We hope the court will respond positively to our request, as well as those of Sokha’s supporters,” he said.

Plang Sophal, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said he did not know whether the court would increase the number of sessions, telling The Post briefly that the hearing will continue on the morning of March 2.

Pheng Heng, another defence lawyer, told reporters outside the court that two more video clips were played at the February 23 hearing.

“We submitted this evidence to prove that Kem Sokha and his now-defunct CNRP had followed the guidelines of the National Election Committee,” he said, denying that his client and the CNRP had conspired with a foreign power or attempted to overthrow the government through a “colour revolution”.