Civil liberties under threat? Cambodia passes 'vaguely worded' bill that can revoke citizenship if...

The national assembly of Cambodia unanimously approved the controversial bill on Monday, allowing the government to revoke the citizenship of individuals accused of colluding with foreign powers. The bill was passed after all 120 lawmakers in attendance at the National Assembly session, along with Prime Minister Hun Manet, voted unanimously to approve it.

In response to the bill, rights groups warned that it could severely undermine civil liberties in the country. They have been accusing the Cambodian government for a very long time of using draconian laws to stifle opposition and legitimate political debate.

According to a report by the news agency AFP, a statement was issued by a coalition of 50 rights groups on Sunday, warning that the law will have a catastrophic impact on the freedom of speech for people of Cambodia. "The potential for abuse in the implementation of this vaguely worded law to target people on the basis of their ethnicity, political opinions, speech, and activism is simply too high to accept," it added.

"The government has many powers, but they should not have the power to arbitrarily decide who is and is not a Cambodian." The legislation still will have to be passed by the upper house of Cambodia before being enforced by the head of state, but both are considered rubber-stamp steps.

What does this law mean in several European Union countries?

As per the European Parliament briefing in February, 15 European Union countries allow citizens to be withdrawn in cases of treason or disloyalty, though in eight of them the rule applies to naturalised citizens. Previously, Cambodia guaranteed an unconditional right to citizenship in its constitution, but lawmakers last month amended it to say, "receiving, losing and revoking Khmer nationality shall be determined by law".

After the amendment was passed, Justice Minister Koeut Rith said, "If you betray the nation, the nation will not keep you." But last month, Amnesty International labelled the legislation as a heinous act of international law.

Additionally, regional research director Montse Ferrer said that the move comes amid a backdrop where Cambodian authorities failed to uphold the independence and integrity of the court of nation. "It comes against a backdrop where the Cambodian authorities have completely failed to safeguard the independence and integrity of the country's courts," said regional research director Montse Ferrer.

"This has enabled the government's authoritarian practices to continue unchecked, such as its persecution of opposition leaders, activists and independent journalists," Montse Ferrer added.