Responding to a National Assembly-approved amendment to the Cambodian Constitution that allows for the revocation of Khmer citizenship, Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director Montse Ferrer said:
“As the proposal moves closer to becoming reality, anyone who speaks out against or opposes the ruling party will be at risk of having their citizenship revoked. We are deeply concerned that the Cambodian government, given the power to strip people of their citizenship, will misuse it to crackdown on its critics and make them stateless.
“Revoking citizenship can violate many rights, including the rights to a nationality, to enter your own country and to take part in the conduct of public affairs. Without citizenship, people may not be able to access healthcare, get a job, go to school, migrate or get married. Stateless individuals often face social exclusion, discrimination and are at risk of exploitation and abuse. For many Cambodians, their Khmer citizenship is akin to their identity.
“Despite this repressive amendment moving forward, it comes against a backdrop where the Cambodian authorities have completely failed to safeguard the independence and integrity of the country’s courts – a failure further compounded by the Constitutional Council stating an amendment was possible. Judicial independence is key to safeguarding people’s rights including the right to nationality and reversing a culture of impunity. This has enabled the government’s authoritarian practices to continue unchecked, such as its persecution of opposition leaders, activists and independent journalists.