Cambodia

Ahead of commune and national elections in 2022, Prime Minister Hun Sen used the Covid-19 pandemic to expand authoritarian control by further curtailing free speech, privacy rights, media freedoms, peaceful assembly, and civic space. General elections under repressive conditions are slated for July 2023. In power since 1985, Hun Sen oversees one-party rule in parliament after Cambodia’s politicized courts dissolved the main opposition party prior to the 2018 elections. Draconian laws, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and judicial harassment, including politically motivated mass trials against over 100  opposition members and dozens of human rights defenders, perpetuate autocratic rule and silence dissent. Cambodia holds more than 50 political prisoners.