Proposed law to ban insulting monarchy prompts free speech fears
21 December 2017
- Minister of Interior Sar Kheng held a meeting with other top ministry officials yesterday to discuss introducing a legal amendment banning insults to the King, similar to so-called “lèse-majesté” laws in Thailand, which critics have characterised as a cudgel to suppress dissent.

The move comes against the backdrop of an already tense political atmosphere that has seen the summary dissolution of the country’s only viable opposition party, the jailing of its leader, heightened scrutiny of NGOs and the shuttering of numerous often-critical media outlets.

A statement on the Interior Ministry website said the meeting was focused on protecting the King, and ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak confirmed an amendment is in the works.

“Samdech Kralahom Sar Kheng decided to request the government to amend some points in the Criminal Code . . . In the Criminal Code there is no part that states how long an individual should be sentenced,” Sopheak said...
Full article: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/p ... eech-fears

Lèse majesté law in works for Cambodia
31 January 2018
The Ministry of Justice today confirmed that a proposed lèse majesté law would be among a series of legal amendments considered by the Constitutional Council on Friday.

A letter of invitation to local media publicised on Monday revealed a slew of constitutional articles are slated to be amended, along with unspecified elements of the Criminal Code and certain elements of the law on the organisation of the Constitutional Council itself.

Ministry of Justice spokesman Chhin Malin said he could not release detailed information on the Criminal Code amendments until the meeting on Friday but did confirm that one would ban insults to King Norodom Sihamoni.

“In short, there is [a law] related to the punishment for insulting the King, because in our Constitution there is an article that protects the King from violation, but in the Penal Code there is no article to punish the one who insults the King,” Malin said.

Malin said the law is necessary because people have begun “looking down” on the King recently.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/l ... s-cambodia

another law that would allow current government to lock up whoever disagrees with them - got all grounds covered

I love how they just copy paste everything from Thailand as if it were the optimal model one should follow...

Laos has more going for it than hydroelectricity

Published 2 hours ago
PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's government on Friday (Feb 2) approved the country's first lese majeste law handing a five-year sentence to anyone found guilty of insulting the king, a move rights groups fear will be used to target dissent.

Unlike neighbouring Thailand where royal defamation often results in decades in jail, Cambodia's largely symbolic monarchy was not until now shielded from criticism.

The law was adopted during a Cabinet meeting chaired by premier HE, an authoritarian leader who is poised to extend his tenure at elections in July after dissolving the opposition and driving many of his critics into self-exile.

The new law, which bans insulting Cambodia's constitutional monarch King Norodom Sihamoni, was added to the criminal code to "uphold and to protect the reputation and royal name," government spokesman Phay Siphan wrote in a Facebook post.

"Insults to the King shall be punished between one to five years in prison" plus a US$2,500 (S$3,277) fine, the post said.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asi ... sm-of-king

The Cambodian government on Friday approved the country's first lese majeste law handing a five-year sentence to anyone found guilty of insulting the king, a move rights groups fear will be used to target dissent.

"Insults to the King shall be punished between one to five years in prison" plus a US$2,500 fine.


https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asean/ ... sm-of-king

The authorities are not shy about the motive behind the new law.

New lese majeste law to 'scare' Cambodians: Ministry spokesman
03 Feb 2018 03:26PM
PHNOM PENH: A spokesman for Cambodia’s Interior Ministry says the country’s new proposed lese majeste law was designed to "scare" the public.

A draft amendment to make insulting the king criminal offence was approved by the Cambodian government on Friday (Feb 2), prompting wider fears about a crackdown on civil rights and freedom of expression.

"Every human being is scared of the prison … we created the law to make people scared," Khieu Sopheak told Channel NewsAsia.

"It is not strange to have this regulation for countries that have a king reigning. Thailand even has a more serious sentence than this," he said.

Neigbouring Thailand has the world's toughest lese majeste law, with sentences of up to 15 years for each offence of royal insult. Prosecutions under the Thai law have risen since a 2014 coup and critics of the junta say it has been used as a means to silence any dissent.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/as ... an-9923918

Cambodia adopts lese majeste law, raising fears of politically motivated cases against govt critics
14 February 2018
PHNOM PENH (REUTERS) - Cambodia's Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 14) unanimously adopted a law that forbids insulting the monarchy as rights groups expressed concern the legislation, in effect in neighbouring Thailand, could be used against critics of the government.

The lese majeste law stipulates that a prosecutor can file a criminal suit on behalf of the monarchy against anyone deemed to be insulting the royal family.

Those found guilty would face between one and five years in prison and a fine of between US$500 and US$2,500 (S$660.18-3,300.75).

"An insult is expressed in words, gestures, writing, painting or objects that affect personal dignity," Mr Pen Panha, head of the parliamentary Commission on Legislation and Justice, told Parliament.

The Senate needs to adopt the Bill and the King sign off on it before it comes into force, both formalities.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asi ... es-against