Cambodian lawmakers pass bill allowing government to revoke citizenship

This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.

Lawmakers in Phnom Penh on Monday approved a law that will allow the government to strip Cambodian citizenship from people convicted of conspiring with foreign governments against the national interest.

Approved by 120 of the 125 members of the National Assembly, the measure was made possible by a change to Cambodia’s constitution that lawmakers passed in July. The measure needs to be approved by the Senate and signed by the king to be fully enacted.

The bill’s passage comes amid a wider crackdown on opponents of the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet. On Sunday, a group of 50 Cambodian non-governmental organizations issued a statement saying the “vaguely worded” measure “will have a disastrously chilling effect on the freedom of speech of all Cambodian citizens.”

“It would undermine every legal protection for speech, association and assembly currently enshrined in Cambodian law,” the groups said. “The government has many powers, but they should not have the power to arbitrarily decide who is and is not a Cambodian.”

Ahead of the vote, Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Sokha framed the measure as important to boost patriotism in Cambodia amid high tensions with Thailand over their disputed border. “A small handful” of Cambodian citizens are imperiling that patriotism, he said, and “should no longer be qualified as Cambodian citizens.”

If the bill becomes law, revocations would be directed by a committee established at Sokha’s request.