Cambodian lawmakers on Monday approved a bill giving the government power to revoke the citizenship of anyone found guilty of conspiring with foreign nations to harm the national interest.
The amendment to the Nationality Law, which was approved by all 120 members of the National Assembly who were present, is viewed by critics as a way to suppress internal dissent and control political opponents of Prime Minister Hun Manet and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
Ahead of the vote on Sunday, 50 Cambodian non-governmental organizations issued a statement saying they were deeply worried by the bill’s “vaguely written” contents allowing the the government to strip Cambodians of their citizenship. They claim it “will have a disastrously chilling effect on the freedom of speech of all Cambodian citizens.”
“With this new amendment to the Nationality Law, all Cambodians risk losing our identities over our activism. If we are stripped of citizenship, we will lose the foundation for every right we have in our home country,” the statement said.
Before becoming law, the bill must be approved by Cambodia’s Senate and head of state, King Norodom Sihamoni, which are normally pro forma actions. Although Cambodia is formally an electoral democracy, Hun Manet’s Cambodian People’s Party holds 120 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly and controls all the levers of government.
