Khmer Rouge

Cambodians voted Sunday in an election that long-time leader Hun Sen is all but guaranteed to win as he looks to secure his legacy by handing the reins to his eldest son.

The 70-year-old former Khmer Rouge cadre has ruled since 1985 and faces no real contest in this vote, with opposition parties banned, challengers forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled.

Cambodian leader Hun Sen unveiled a collection of stolen Angkor crown jewelry on March 17 which was recently returned to the kingdom after decades in Britain, pleading for other long-lost treasures to be handed back.

Two top leaders of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime were found guilty of genocide on Friday, in a landmark ruling almost 40 years after the fall of a brutal regime that presided over the deaths of a quarter of the population.

The United States promised “concrete steps” against Cambodia and the European Union raised a threat to vital trade preferences after the main opposition party was banned ahead of elections.

Two former Khmer Rouge leaders on July 2 began appeal hearings against landmark convictions for crimes against humanity last year which saw them handed life sentences by Cambodia's UN-backed court.