Cambodia passes law to revoke citizenship of people convicted of treason

25/8/2025 17:49

Cambodia's parliament passed a law on Monday that will allow people convicted of treason to be stripped of their citizenship, a new measure that comes amid a sustained crackdown on opponents of the long-ruling Cambodian People's Party.



The law, approved by 120 of the 125 members of the CPP-dominated National Assembly, will allow the state to revoke the citizenship of anyone convicted of conspiring with foreign countries or plotting against Cambodian interests.



Many prominent political figures have fled Cambodia to avoid arrest amid intensified efforts to stifle the CPP's opposition in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2017 banning of the Cambodian National Rescue Party ahead of an election the following year.



Cambodia has since held mass trials involving more than 100 opposition figures, with many jailed in absentia on treason and incitement charges. The CPP has been widely condemned by activists and Western countries, including the United States, for a crackdown on remnants of the opposition that has ensured the past two elections were virtually one-horse races.



The government denies targeting opponents and says those sentenced to prison were law-breakers.