"Cambodia reviews ban on opposition after EU sanctions threat", 3 December 2018

Cambodia’s parliament is reviewing a five-year ban on … the main opposition party, …, following threats by the European Union to deny duty-free trading access to the Southeast Asian nation.

The EU … began a formal procedure to strip Cambodia of its “Everything but Arms (EBA)” initiative, after Prime Minister Hun Sen returned to power ...

“To further promote democracy and the rule of law, the National Assembly is reviewing legal provisions to enable individuals who were banned from politics to resume political activities,” Cambodia’s foreign ministry said ...

The party’s deputy president, Mu Sochua, demanded that Sokha be freed, with all charges dropped and the party reinstated.

“Piecemeal solutions do not and cannot restore democracy. The judiciary must be independent and not a political tool,” Sochua told Reuters.

Cambodia’s independent media also faced increasing pressure from Hun Sen and his allies ahead of the July vote.

The English-language Cambodia Daily shut down … after the government ordered it to pay millions of dollars in back taxes or face closure. About 30 radio stations were also shut ...

“These announcements are likely conditions under withdrawal of ‘Everything But Arms (EBA)’,” Naly Pilorge of the Cambodia-based Licadho rights group told Reuters…