--- description: The U.S. announced new visa restrictions against Cambodian officials following "anti-democratic" actions ahead of an election last month title: U.S. Expands Visa Bans on Cambodia After 'Flawed' Election image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt465513d2d0913d75/698937e78fd2eea82e35c64d/rtx6di6a.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Cambodia](/tag/cambodia/) ## Cambodia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The U.S. Is Expanding Cambodia Visa Bans Over Last Month's 'Flawed' Election by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 16, 2018 3:16 AM CUT  Supporters take pictures with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen at the inauguration of a new boat terminal in Phnom Penh on Aug. 1, 2018. Supporters take pictures with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen at the inauguration of a new boat terminal in Phnom Penh on Aug. 1, 2018.Pring Samrang—Reuters by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 16, 2018 3:16 AM CUT The U.S. announced new visa restrictions against Cambodian officials responsible for “anti-democratic” actions taken in the run-up to the country’s [election last month](http://time.com/5352387/cambodia-2018-election-results/ "undefined"), which was widely condemned by rights groups and international observers as flawed and illegitimate. The State Department said Wednesday that it was extending a previous round of [travel bans](https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/12/276288.htm "undefined") passed against an undisclosed number of Cambodia officials in December. The sanctions came amid a [crackdown](http://time.com/4999905/cambodia-hun-sen-election-crackdown/ "undefined") on dissent that [disbanded](http://time.com/5027007/cambodia-democracy-hun-sen/ "undefined") the country’s chief opposition party and left domestic media and independent institutions in tatters ahead of the July 29 national election. In a statement, the White House said the poll was “[neither free nor fair](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-cambodias-flawed-parliamentary-elections/ "undefined") and failed to represent the will of the Cambodian people.” The new visa restrictions will [pick out individuals](https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/1029814301429616640 "undefined") “both within and outside the Cambodian government” responsible for “the most notable anti-democratic actions taken in the run-up to the flawed July 29 election,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press briefing on Wednesday. “We reiterate our call for the Cambodian government to take tangible actions to promote national reconciliation by allowing independent media and civil society organizations to fulfill their vital roles unhindered,” Nauert said, calling for the release of Cambodian political prisoners, including imprisoned opposition party [president Kem Sokha](http://time.com/4926317/cambodia-daily-opposition-kem-sokha-arrested/ "undefined"). **Read more**: [_Dissenting Voices Stifled Ahead of Cambodia’s Contentious Election_](http://time.com/5346802/cambodia-election-debate-silenced/ "undefined") The announcement came the same day that Cambodia’s National Election Committee released the poll’s [official results](https://www.apnews.com/6d65f27479aa4c4d96d2345bc99eb996 "undefined"), which showed longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) winning all 125 seats contested. The CPP also swept [Senate elections](http://time.com/5175197/cambodia-senate-election-democracy/ "undefined") in February. The number and identities of those included in the State Department’s new round of visa bans were not released. The Cambodia Democracy Act of 2018, which the U.S. House passed last month, [identified 17 figures](https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/house-passes-cambodia-democracy-act/ "undefined") as potential sanctions targets, including Hun Sen and two of his children, as well as five state ministers and the country’s anti-corruption chief. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5368695/us-cambodia-visa-restrictions-election/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5368695/us-cambodia-visa-restrictions-election/"},"headline":"The U.S. Is Expanding Cambodia Visa Bans Over Last Month's 'Flawed' Election","datePublished":"2018-08-16T03:16:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:09:27.792Z","description":"Prime Minister Hun Sen won all 125 seats in the country's election last month","url":"https://time.com/5368695/us-cambodia-visa-restrictions-election/","keywords":["Cambodia","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt465513d2d0913d75/698937e78fd2eea82e35c64d/rtx6di6a.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eli Meixler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eli/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt465513d2d0913d75/698937e78fd2eea82e35c64d/rtx6di6a.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Supporters take pictures with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen as he attends an inauguration of a new boat terminal in Phnom Penh","caption":"Supporters take pictures with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen as he attends an inauguration of a new boat terminal in Phnom Penh","creditText":"Pring Samrang—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cambodia/","name":"Cambodia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5368695/us-cambodia-visa-restrictions-election/","name":"The U.S. Is Expanding Cambodia Visa Bans Over Last Month's 'Flawed' Election"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Cambodia's Opposition Leader Denounces Election Results","description":"Cambodia's ruling party won an expected victory in an election Sunday widely considered illegitimate after the only credible opposition was silenced and which ensures that long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen will serve another five-year term.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/cUuimnv5/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-07-30T01:34:01.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cUuimnv5.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5368695/us-cambodia-visa-restrictions-election/","duration":"PT57S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5368695/us-cambodia-visa-restrictions-election/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```