Former RFA journalists Oun Chhin, left, and Yeang Sothearin speak with journalists outside a Phnom Penh court on October 03, 2019.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning once again delayed a verdict announcement for two former Radio Free Asia journalists, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, who face charges of providing information to a foreign power that could undermine national defence. The judge ordered further investigation of the case, a judgement that came amidst a trial that has failed to provide any credible evidence substantiating the charges.

LICADHO calls for all charges against the two former journalists to be immediately dropped.

A Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge announced this morning that the court would not issue a verdict announcement in the case and instead would further investigate several key facts, including conducting further forensic analysis on hard drives that have been in the court’s possession for more than 18 months. No timeframe was given for such an investigation. This ongoing legal process means that the two former journalists could continue to face charges without any credible evidence indefinitely.

Chhin and Sothearin were charged under Article 445 of the Criminal Code for activities which can “undermine national defence” and Articles 38 and 39 of the human trafficking law. They were arrested on 14 November 2017 and spent more than nine months in pre-trial detention before being granted bail. The two men worked for RFA prior to the outlet shuttering its Phnom Penh bureau as a result of a wave of government’s repression that silenced a number of independent media outlets, including RFA’s FM radio broadcasts.

Both men have denied the accusations levied against them by authorities, while local and international rights groups and press freedom advocates have repeatedly called for the immediate dropping of all charges against the former journalists.