Cambodia accused of using COVID-19 pandemic to edge toward dictatorship The Guardian Cambodians who break COVID-19 rules could face 20 years in prison under a new law that human rights groups say takes the country “a step towards a totalitarian dictatorship.” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned that the nation was “on the brink of death,” as a two-week lockdown was imposed in Phnom Penh on Thursday to try to control the spread of the virus. The law means those convicted could face fines of up to US$5,000, as well as prison terms, and grants the government the power to ban or restrict any gathering or demonstration indefinitely.