A judge in Cambodia has convicted Australian filmmaker James Ricketson of spying and sentenced him to 6 years in prison,
Ricketson faced a charge of violating national security, which carries up to 10 years in prison, when he arrived at a Cambodian court to hear his verdict Friday.
Cambodia has released almost two dozen jailed critics or opponents of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government in recent weeks, raising hopes that Ricketson may also be freed.
He arrived alone to the Phnom Penh court in a prison van, later telling The Associated Press from a waiting room, “I hope I am free today and I could go home.”
Ricketson, 69, has been held since June last year when he was detained after flying a drone to photograph an opposition party political rally.
The charge against Ricketson is tantamount in legal terms to espionage, but prosecutors never specified which foreign power he allegedly spied for.
