Cambodia Passes Law to Strip Citizenship from People Convicted of Treason

Cambodia’s parliament has passed a sweeping new law that will allow the government to revoke the citizenship of individuals convicted of treason drawing fresh concerns from rights groups and international observers about deepening authoritarianism in the country.

The legislation, approved on Monday by 120 out of 125 members of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP)-controlled National Assembly, targets those found guilty of conspiring with foreign powers or plotting against national interests.

The move marks the latest escalation in a years-long crackdown on opposition voices and critics of the ruling CPP, which has governed Cambodia for nearly four decades.

“This law is about protecting national sovereignty,” said a CPP spokesperson following the vote. “Those who betray their country should no longer benefit from its citizenship.”

But critics argue the law is a political weapon designed to silence dissent and further isolate exiled opposition leaders. Since the Cambodian Supreme Court banned the main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in 2017, the government has ramped up arrests and in absentia convictions of more than 100 former opposition figures on charges of treason and incitement.

Many of these political opponents, including high-profile CNRP co-founders Sam Rainsy and Mu Sochua, fled the country years ago. Rainsy, who lives in France, has repeatedly accused the Cambodian government of corruption and military misconduct. Sochua is now based in the United States.

Rainsy, a vocal critic of CPP President and former Prime Minister Hun Sen, has long been at the center of the political storm. He has been banned from returning to Cambodia and is frequently cited by government officials as an example of “foreign-aligned” opposition.

In late June, Hun Sen publicly called for action against Cambodians “who side with foreign nations” and accused them of undermining the country’s sovereignty—comments that now appear to have paved the way for this new legal measure.

The Cambodian government insists it is not targeting political opponents but enforcing the law against those who violate it. However, Western governments, including the United States, and human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the CPP for engineering what they call “one-party rule” through legal intimidation and politically motivated prosecutions.

“This law sends a chilling message,” said one human rights monitor based in Phnom Penh. “It weaponizes citizenship and deepens Cambodia’s democratic backsliding.”