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In 2015 Cambodia’s democratic space for civil society was dealt a series of critical blows as the government tightened its control through legislation and politicized courts.

The ruling party passed two laws intended to muzzle Cambodia’s civil society and quash dissenting voices: the Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO) and the amended law on election of members of the national assembly (LEMNA). These laws, together with two similarly repressive draft laws which remain on the near horizon, show that the government remains determined to constrict fundamental freedoms and curtail those who want to speak out.

It was a shaky year for the so-called ‘culture of dialogue’ between Cambodia’s two main political parties. Political jostling between the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) manifested in arrests, detentions and in some cases, physical injuries. The conviction of 11 CNRP supporters, activists and officials in July sparked a wave of politically-motivated arrests – those aligned, or perceived to be aligned, with the opposition party were thrown into prison alongside human rights defenders arrested for their environmental and land activism. By the end of the year, opposition leader Sam Rainsy found himself once again forced into self-exile, while 15 opposition figures, including an opposition senator, were imprisoned.

Meanwhile, land and labour groups continued their struggles for land rights and a fair minimum wage. The solidarity between different sectors grew in response to repressive laws; unions and associations protested alongside citizens’ groups and NGOs to try to halt the enactment of laws which seek to silence the voices of all.