An Australian filmmaker who was accused of spying and sentenced to six years in a notorious Cambodian jail is set to return home this weekend.
James Ricketson, 69, was pardoned by the Cambodian government on Friday following a widely criticised trial and guilty verdict.
He is expected to arrive in Sydney on Sunday evening after spending 14-months in a Cambodian jail.
Ricketson’s lawyer, Kong Sam Onn, said his client was staying at his son Jesse’s house in Phnom Penh after being released from jail on Friday evening.
Australian filmmaker James Ricketson (pictured), 69, who was pardoned by the Cambodian government on Friday is expected to arrive in Sydney on Sunday
Ricketson’s lawyer, Kong Sam Onn, said his client (pictured) was staying at his son Jesse’s house in Phnom Penh after being released from jail on Friday evening
The 69-year-old was issued a royal pardon signed by Senate President Say Chhum, the acting head of state in the absence of King Norodom Sihamoni on Friday, AP reported.
A week earlier, Ricketson was delivered a guilty verdict for an espionage charge at a Phnom Penh court.
Prosecutors didn’t specify who Ricketson was allegedly spying for.
Ricketson was arrested in June last year after flying a drone without a permit over a political rally in the lead up to an election.
The arrest came after Prime Minister Hun Sen’s leadership began to crackdown on political rivals and critics.
The ruling party won the recent general July election by a landslide and numerous political prisoners have since been released.
Ricketson, who has been filming documentaries in the country for the past 20 years, was arrested in June last year after flying a drone without a permit over a political rally in the lead up to an election
The arrest came after Prime Minister Hun Sen’s leadership began to crackdown on political rivals and critics
Pardons are typically issued at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen who has been power for 33 years.
Ricketson, who has been filming documentaries in the country for the past 20 years, was intending to use the drone footage in a film about street kids but the government believed the footage could threaten the country’s national security.
Ricketson’s son James told 7.30 his father would pursue a royal pardon, instead of appealing the conviction.
The ruling party won the recent general July election by a landslide and numerous political prisoners have since been released
In an update to the Change.org petition to bring Ricketson home, his adopted daughter Roxanne Holmes confirmed the pardon.
‘Dad is coming back to us and he will be safe with his loved ones. It feels like the pain of the last 14 months has hit me in one go, so many emotions but above all, I am so happy,’ Ms Holmes wrote.
‘Our deepest thanks to all those who have supported us from Australian filmmakers to politicians and to every single person who signed, shared, called, emailed – you made this happen.’
The petition, which received over 100,000 signatures, drew attention to Ricketson’s deteriorating health as he spent over a year behind bars.
‘Unless the Australian government responds quickly, my innocent dad could die in jail. I’m petrified – every day matters now as he gets sicker,’ the petition read.
In an update to the Change.org petition to bring Ricketson home, his adopted daughter Roxanne Holmes confirmed the pardon. ‘Dad is coming back to us and he will be safe with his loved ones’ she wrote