PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Survivors have welcomed Cambodia’s new law criminalising denial of the Khmer Rouge genocide, but critics warn it may stifle dissent.
Passed ahead of the 50th anniversary of the regime’s 1975 takeover, the law imposes heavy penalties for denying the atrocities that killed some two million people.
Analysts say it could be used to shield former PM Hun Sen’s legacy and mute critics of his son, Hun Manet.
“It reinforces state narratives,” said US-based academic, Sophal Ear.
Others say it may deter open discussion.
Hun Sen, once a Khmer Rouge commander, has likened the law to Holocaust denial bans, but past opponents like Kem Sokha have been jailed for allegedly challenging official accounts.
Chum Mey, 94, a survivor of the S-21 torture prison, backs the law: “They killed my four children and my wife. There is evidence.” – AFP
