Particle.news
Download on the App Store
7 ARTICLES
·
4h ago

Cambodia’s National Assembly Passes Bill to Revoke Citizenship for Treason

Rights groups say the measure’s vague language threatens free expression.

Image
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet registers before entering the session on the draft law on amending the law on nationality in the National Assembly in Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, greets lawmakers as he arrives at the session on the draft law on amending the law on nationality at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian lawmaker Tea Banh, left, registers together with his son, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Tea Seiha, center, before the session on the draft law on amending the law on nationality at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Overview

  • The lower house approved the bill unanimously with 120 votes, with Prime Minister Hun Manet attending the session.
  • The measure follows last month’s constitutional change placing nationality rules in statute and targets people convicted of treason, including conspiring with foreign countries or plotting against state interests.
  • The bill now moves to the Senate and then to the head of state for enactment, steps widely viewed as formalities.
  • A coalition of 50 rights groups warned the law is vaguely written and said it could have a disastrously chilling effect on speech.
  • Amnesty International condemned the move as violating international law and linked it to ongoing prosecutions of government critics, including the 2023 treason conviction of opposition leader Kem Sokha.