Cambodia's Law on Peaceful Demonstration Curtails People's Right to Protest

Cambodia's Law on Peaceful Demonstration, passed in 2009, was intended to ensure citizens' right to organize and participate in public assemblies by designating freedom parks in every province. However, only one freedom park has been identified, and authorities often impose prohibitions on its use for protests. Human rights groups have flagged restrictive provisions of the law, including the requirement for organizers to notify authorities of the number of participants, which is impossible to predict. The law also fails to recognize and protect spontaneous assemblies. As a result, protests have been restricted, and the democratic space in Cambodia has been limited.