U.S.-based Human Rights Watch and U.K.-based ARTICLE 19 on Wednesday said the draft of the Access to Information law, which will soon head to parliament, had many ambiguous provisions and unclear definitions, diluting the intent of the legislation.
The two rights groups released a statement on Wednesday pointing out that despite a lengthy four-year long process, involving multiple consultations, the government had not amended the draft to reflect requests to strengthen the law, especially in light of lax protections for freedom of expression in Cambodia.
The law is expected to make the mostly opaque workings of the government more accessible to rights groups, journalists and Cambodian citizens. But questions have lingered over the strength of the law, as well as if it will be implemented fairly by the Hun Sen government.
