Cambodia To Allow Citizenship Revocation From Those ‘Betraying’ Nation 

Cambodian lawmakers unanimously approved a constitutional amendment over the weekend to allow the revocation of the citizenship of individuals deemed to have conspired with foreign powers to harm the national interest, a move that human rights groups said targets political opponents, Al Jazeera reported. 

On Friday, the National Assembly voted to amend Article 33 of the constitution, which previously specified that Cambodian citizens could lose their citizenship only “through mutual agreement.” 

But the change now stipulates that “receiving, losing and revoking Khmer nationality shall be determined by law.”  

It will now allow lawmakers to draft legislation permitting authorities to strip Khmer nationality from both lifelong and dual citizens, as well as foreign nationals granted Cambodian citizenship. 

Justice Minister Koeut Rith dismissed criticism about the move. 

“If you betray the nation, the nation will not keep you,” he noted. 

Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who retains significant power in the country, also defended the move as necessary to safeguard national interests.  

Hun Manet claimed 150 countries have similar legislation, including the United States, the Associated Press added. 

But critics and human rights advocates warned that the changes will be used to silence dissent and political opponents in the Southeast Asian country, with Amnesty International calling it a “repressive amendment” that risks leaving opponents stateless.  

The change comes a month after Hun Sen called for legal action against opposition figures critical of the government’s handling of an ongoing border dispute with Thailand.  

On May 28, a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash in a contested border zone, an incident that reignited nationalist rhetoric and led Cambodia to file a complaint with the International Court of Justice over temple sites.  

Former Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy – currently in exile since 2016 – accused Hun Sen of using nationalism as a “political smokescreen” to distract from the government’s alleged ties to Chinese-run cyber scam networks in border regions.