Cambodia moves to cement death penalty ban

Cambodia has pledged to make its abolition of the death penalty permanent by ratifying a key UN treaty, reinforcing a constitutional ban that has stood for more than three decades.

Justice Minister Koeut Rith announced the move at the Ninth World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris, held from 30 June to 2 July. He said Cambodia would ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which obliges signatories never to reintroduce capital punishment.

“By ratifying this Optional Protocol, Cambodia will undertake an international obligation not to reintroduce the death penalty in the future,” Rith told delegates, describing the step as a milestone consistent with the country’s Constitution and its long-standing practice.

Cambodia abolished the death penalty in 1989, later enshrining the ban in the 1993 Constitution. It is one of only two Southeast Asian nations, alongside the Philippines, to have outlawed capital punishment entirely. Officials say the stance reflects both international law and Cambodia’s own history, shaped by the mass killings under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Rights groups welcomed the announcement but urged broader reforms. Am Sam Ath of LICADHO said the move showed respect for human rights but stressed that wrongful convictions remain a concern. “Luckily, Cambodia does not have the death penalty,” he noted, adding that the country must ensure arrests and prosecutions do not violate constitutional freedoms.

Critics, including the UN Human Rights Council, have repeatedly called for judicial independence and stronger protections for activists, who have faced arrests and convictions widely condemned as politically motivated.

For Phnom Penh, ratification of the UN protocol signals a permanent rejection of capital punishment and a commitment to uphold human dignity. Yet campaigners argue that without deeper reforms to guarantee fair trials and protect fundamental freedoms, Cambodia’s human rights record will remain under scrutiny.

-2026-07-07