A prominent leader of Cambodia’s land rights movement and three female activists imprisoned with her were freed under a royal pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen, South China Morning Post reports. The pardon came just a few weeks after the prime minister won re-election. Analysts say Hun Sen could use pardons and the kingdom’s pliant courts to help deflect criticism amid questions of legitimacy after July’s vote was widely decried as a sham, according to Rappler. Hun Sen raised eyebrows last week when he proposed the establishment of a consultation forum between the government and political parties, including those that oppose him, so that they could work together in developing the country.