Cambodian lawmakers pass bill allowing government to revoke citizenship

[ad_1] Lawmakers in Phnom Penh on Monday accepted a legislation that can permit the federal government to strip Cambodian citizenship from individuals convicted of conspiring with overseas governments in opposition to the nationwide curiosity.

Accredited by 120 of the 125 members of the Nationwide Meeting, the measure was made attainable by a change to Cambodia’s structure that lawmakers handed in July. The measure must be accepted by the Senate and signed by the king to be absolutely enacted.

The invoice’s passage comes amid a wider crackdown on opponents of the federal government of Prime Minister Hun Manet. On Sunday, a gaggle of fifty Cambodian non-governmental organizations issued a press release saying the “vaguely worded” measure “may have a disastrously chilling impact on the liberty of speech of all Cambodian residents.”

“It could undermine each authorized safety for speech, affiliation and meeting at the moment enshrined in Cambodian legislation,” the teams stated. “The federal government has many powers, however they need to not have the ability to arbitrarily resolve who's and isn't a Cambodian.”

<img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="In this photo released by Cambodia's National Assembly, Cambodian lawmakers raise their hands during the session on the draft law on amending the law on nationality at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh, Aug. 25, 2025." class="c-image" loading="lazy" src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/IYGTREDYGNHINHG3NIIZ2E5ZLY.jpg?auth=58a5c0980fec57f6295087013e187bf237240f570e09adc2ba64223630c71650&width=800&height=533" srcset="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/IYGTREDYGNHINHG3NIIZ2E5ZLY.jpg?auth=58a5c0980fec57f6295087013e187bf237240f570e09adc2ba64223630c71650&width=274&height=182 274w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/IYGTREDYGNHINHG3NIIZ2E5ZLY.jpg?auth=58a5c0980fec57f6295087013e187bf237240f570e09adc2ba64223630c71650&width=400&height=266 400w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/IYGTREDYGNHINHG3NIIZ2E5ZLY.jpg?auth=58a5c0980fec57f6295087013e187bf237240f570e09adc2ba64223630c71650&width=768&height=511 768w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/IYGTREDYGNHINHG3NIIZ2E5ZLY.jpg?auth=58a5c0980fec57f6295087013e187bf237240f570e09adc2ba64223630c71650&width=1024&height=682 1024w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/IYGTREDYGNHINHG3NIIZ2E5ZLY.jpg?auth=58a5c0980fec57f6295087013e187bf237240f570e09adc2ba64223630c71650&width=1440&height=959 1440w" width="800" height="533"/> cambodia-citizenship-national-assembly-pass On this photograph launched by Cambodia's Nationwide Meeting, Cambodian lawmakers increase their palms in the course of the session on the draft legislation on amending the legislation on nationality on the Nationwide Meeting in Phnom Penh, Aug. 25, 2025. (Cambodia Nationwide Meeting by way of AP) Forward of the vote, Cambodian Inside Minister Sar Sokha framed the measure as necessary to spice up patriotism in Cambodia amid excessive tensions with Thailand over their disputed border. “A small handful” of Cambodian residents are imperiling that patriotism, he stated, and “ought to not be certified as Cambodian residents.”