Cambodian lawmakers have passed a law giving the government the power to strip citizenship from people who “collude” with foreign countries.
The law passed on Monday empowers authorities to revoke the citizenship of anyone convicted of conspiring with foreign countries, scheming against Cambodian interests, or committing acts leading to “destruction of sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security”.
The legislation was approved by all but five lawmakers in the 125-member National Assembly, which is dominated by the long-governing Cambodian People’s Party.
Under the law, revocation of citizenship is to be decided by a committee established at the request of Interior Minister Sar Sokha.
While the legislation must still be approved by Cambodia’s upper house and the king, these steps are widely considered formalities.
The measure comes amid a sustained crackdown on opponents of the governing party, the political vehicle of former strongman leader Hun Sen and his son, current Prime Minister Hun Manet.
In June, Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for more than three decades before his son took the reins in 2023, said Cambodia needed to take action against nationals who “side with foreign nations”.
Numerous prominent political figures have fled Cambodia to avoid arrest amid the crackdown, including Sam Rainsy and Mu Sochua, the cofounders of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party.
Before the parliamentary vote on the law, a coalition of 50 rights groups on Sunday warned that the legislation would have “a disastrously chilling effect on the freedom of speech of all Cambodian citizens”.
“The potential for abuse in the implementation of this vaguely worded law to target people on the basis of their ethnicity, political opinions, speech, and activism is simply too high to accept,” the group said.
“The government has many powers, but they should not have the power to arbitrarily decide who is and is not a Cambodian.”
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