Cambodia’s parliament has passed legislation enabling authorities to revoke the citizenship of citizens deemed to be “colluding” with foreign countries, a move rights groups say will be used to silence dissent.
All 120 members of the National Assembly, including Prime Minister Hun Manet, voted in favour of the bill on Monday.
The law allows nationality to be stripped for acts of collusion with foreign powers or actions considered to undermine “sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security”.
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A committee established at the request of the interior minister, Sar Sokha, will oversee cases.
Before the vote, Sokha urged lawmakers to support the measure, claiming the country faced threats from “a small handful” of Cambodians working on behalf of neighbouring Thailand.
The two countries clashed at the border last month in fighting that left at least 43 people dead.
Rights groups say the law is dangerously vague and open to abuse. A coalition of 50 organisations warned it would have a “disastrously chilling effect” on free speech.
“The potential for abuse in the implementation of this vaguely worded law to target people based on their ethnicity, political opinions, speech and activism is simply too high to accept,” the groups said.
The law still requires approval by the upper house and enactment by the head of state, but both processes are expected to be formalities.
The measure follows a constitutional amendment last month removing the unconditional guarantee of citizenship and allowing nationality to be “determined by law”.
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Cambodia has faced mounting criticism over its suppression of opposition figures, activists and journalists, with dozens imprisoned or facing politically motivated cases.
Rights monitors argue the new law will further entrench repression.
