PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) – On Friday, Cambodia's Cabinet approved a draft bill designed to impose stricter penalties on individuals who deny the atrocities committed during the late 1970s by the Khmer Rouge regime. This communist government is infamously responsible for the deaths of approximately 1.7 million people due to its brutal policies.
The Cabinet office stated that the proposed legislation aims to prevent the recurrence of such brutal events and to provide justice for the victims of the Khmer Rouge. The seven-article bill currently requires parliamentary approval before it can be enacted into law.
Under the proposed legislation, those who violate its provisions could face prison terms ranging from one to five years, along with financial penalties ranging from $2,500 to $125,000. Given that the ruling Cambodian People's Party controls 120 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly, the bill is expected to pass with relative ease.
This legislative move comes three months ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's takeover of Cambodia on April 15, 1975, which followed a five-year civil war. The Khmer Rouge, led by the late Pol Pot, maintained power until 1979 when an invasion from Vietnam resulted in their ousting. By this time, the radical policies of the Khmer Rouge had led to the estimated deaths of 1.7 million people due to starvation, execution, and illness.
Although a few surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge and some veterans may question their historical culpability, the vast majority of Cambodians who experienced those times acknowledge the severe human rights violations perpetrated by the regime.
In 2013, Cambodia had enacted a law against denying the Khmer Rouge's atrocities, largely at the instigation of then-Prime Minister Hun Sen. This came in response to a suggestion by a leading opposition lawmaker who insinuated that some evidence of the Khmer Rouge’s crimes might have been fabricated by Vietnam. That law imposed lesser penalties of six months to two years in prison and fines between $250 and $1,000.
Critics have argued that recent legislation appears to serve as a tool for political repression, particularly aimed at silencing opponents of the ruling party. Hun Sen's administration has been known for utilizing the judiciary to intimidate political rivals, a tactic widely recognized by human rights organizations.
Last year in May, Hun Sen—who held office as prime minister for 38 years before being succeeded by his son, Hun Manet in 2023—pointed out that the existing 2013 law required updating. He expressed concerns that political adversaries could incite a “color revolution,” drawing parallels with uprisings in Ukraine and other former Soviet states, which he warned could lead to genocidal conflict in Cambodia.
In 2009, a United Nations-backed tribunal began trials that concluded with the finding that the Khmer Rouge regime had committed genocide, crimes against humanity, and serious breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. These findings highlighted the systematic violations against the Cambodian legal system, international humanitarian law, and various conventions recognized by Cambodia.
