Cambodia’s parliament has passed a controversial new law that allows the government to revoke citizenship from anyone convicted of treason or working with foreign powers.
Rights groups warn the measure could be used to target political opponents and silence dissent.
On 25 August 2025, 120 out of 125 lawmakers in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party–controlled National Assembly voted for the bill.
It follows a July 11 constitutional amendment that changed Article 33 to permit nationality revocation by law.
Until now, the constitution had guaranteed that no citizen could be stripped of their nationality.
Justice Minister Koeut Rith said the law was designed to protect national security and would only affect people who “betray the nation.”
Prime Minister Hun Manet, who took office in 2023 after his father Hun Sen, argued that citizens who conspire with foreign powers “are not Cambodians,” pointing to similar laws in other countries.
Human rights groups strongly condemned the move. Amnesty International called it a “heinous violation of international law” that could render government critics stateless.
Western governments and watchdogs also said the law entrenches authoritarian control in Cambodia, where political freedoms have already been severely restricted.
The law comes amid years of political crackdowns. Since the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party was dissolved in 2017, over 100 opposition members have faced mass trials, many in absentia.
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Exiled leaders such as Sam Rainsy and Mu Sochua continue to campaign from abroad but remain frequent targets of new charges.
Under the new legislation, any citizen—whether born in Cambodia or holding dual nationality—can lose citizenship if found guilty of treason or conspiring with foreign states.
The law will take effect once it is signed by King Norodom Sihamoni in the coming weeks.
For critics, the measure marks a sharp reversal of Cambodia’s long-standing legal protections.
The 1996 Law on Nationality and the constitution had previously guaranteed that citizenship could not be revoked under any circumstance.
Rights groups say dismantling that safeguard gives the government sweeping powers to punish critics and silence opponents.