LIBRARY

2 November 2023

On this International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we, the undersigned civil society organisations, call upon the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) to take immediate and concrete action to ensure the effective, independent, and transparent investigation of all crimes committed against journalists and human rights defenders (“HRDs") in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

At least 15 journalists have been killed in Cambodia since 1994. Twelve of them were reporting on sensitive issues at the time of their deaths. Not a single perpetrator has been brought to justice in any of these cases.

13 February 2023

We, the undersigned media and civil society organizations, are deeply disturbed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s order to revoke the license of Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of the last remaining independent media outlets in Cambodia. We also condemn the recent sexual harassment and intimidation of a female VOD journalist.

The closure of VOD and the harassment of a female VOD journalist undermine the government’s own claims regarding respect for the free press in Cambodia and appear to reflect a failure to uphold the 1995 Law on the Press. The decision to revoke VOD’s media license ahead of the July 2023 national elections represents a fresh wave of intimidation tactics against the country’s dwindling independent media that mirrors the 2017 closure of the Cambodia Daily and the 2018 sale of the Phnom Penh Post.

13 February 2023

The government this morning revoked the media operating licence of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), parent of the bilingual outlet Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of Cambodia’s few remaining independent media outlets.

The Ministry of Information revoked the licence after Prime Minister Hun Sen and his son, army commander Hun Manet, took issue with a 9 February VOD article that featured reactions from various people. This included a comment from government spokesperson Phay Siphan regarding the claim that Hun Manet had signed an agreement providing financial assistance to Türkiye. Both Manet and the prime minister later took to social media to deny that Manet had signed the document.

19 August 2022

We, the undersigned press freedom, human rights and civil society groups, condemn the recent violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation of five journalists and four activists by officers from the prime minister's bodyguard unit (BHQ) in Phnom Tamao forest.

Five journalists from independent news outlet VOD and four activists from social justice group Khmer Thavrak were unjustly detained for about seven hours on 16 August 2022. They were arrested in Phnom Tamao forest on Tuesday morning by BHQ officers and then brought to the Bati district police station in Takeo province.

16 August 2022

Authorities detained five journalists from independent news outlet VOD and four activists from social justice group Khmer Thavrak after they were arrested in Phnom Tamao forest on Tuesday morning. They were released just after 6 pm this evening after authorities required them to sign a contract.

Officers from the prime minister’s bodyguard unit arrested the journalists and Khmer Thavrak activists, including Sokun Tola, Chhem Sreykea, Chhoeun Daravy and Hun Vannak, and sent the nine to the Bati district police station in Takeo province for questioning for several hours.

The Khmer Thavrak activists were detained after one group member was live-streaming on Facebook from Phnom Tamao this morning, and the group had submitted a petition about the forest to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, another group member said. Authorities have reportedly started marking forest land with poles, drawing questions from local residents and triggering a visit by Khmer Thavrak.

30 September 2021

Today the Koh Kong Provincial Court convicted Youn Chhiv, the publisher of Koh Kong Hot News, of incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code. Less than 72 hours after he was detained, he was sentenced to one year in prison.

The conviction followed an instruction by Minister of National Defense, General Tea Banh, to investigate Youn Chhiv over allegedly false information he posted about the Koh Kong deputy governor’s involvement in a land dispute in the province.

Youn Chhiv was summoned by the Botum Sakor district police and presented himself for questioning on Tuesday. He was made to write a letter of apology to the deputy governor and agreed to remove an article posted on his media outlet’s Facebook page before the case was sent to the court yesterday. The case went to trial today, without a judicial investigation being opened, on the grounds that he was allegedly caught in the act of committing the crime (in flagrante delicto).

3 May 2021

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, we - the undersigned non-governmental organizations – recall that freedom of expression includes the right to a free and independent media as well as the rights to hold opinions and to seek, receive or impart information and ideas of all kinds. The press plays a fundamental role in ensuring a healthy and prosperous democracy. We are, therefore, deeply concerned about the continued deterioration of the media environment in Cambodia and urge the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) to cease the ongoing harassment of independent media outlets and journalists for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression, to end the rampant impunity against attacked and murdered journalists, to immediately repeal repressive legislation undermining fundamental freedoms – including press freedom - and to ensure that any future legislation is drafted in line with Cambodia’s human rights obligations and through a transparent and consultative process with civil society.

18 December 2020

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) today is releasing “The Fight for Freedom: Attacks on Human Rights Defenders, 2018-2020”.“The Fight for Freedom” is not an exhaustive list of all attacks targeting human rights defenders since the beginning of 2018. Instead, it highlights a number of high-profile cases where human rights defenders have been targeted for intimidation, arrest or imprisonment while trying to peacefully exercise their rights to association, assembly and expression as guaranteed both in Cambodia’s constitution and under international law.

18 May 2020

We, the undersigned civil society groups, urgently call on the government to drop all charges against imprisoned journalists Sok Oudom and Sovann Rithy and to halt all harassment of other journalists in Cambodia facing prosecution for their critical reporting. We also urge the government to immediately restore the broadcasting licenses of all media outlets revoked before and during this latest assault on press freedom.

Police arrested local radio station owner Sok Oudom in Kampong Chhnang province on Wednesday on charges of “incitement to commit a felony”. Oudom regularly reported on longstanding land disputes between local farming communities and powerful district officials. The day before Oudom’s arrest, the Ministry of Information revoked the media license of his Rithysen Radio Station and its website, despite the fact that Oudom had yet to be charged with any crime. He remains in pre-trial detention.

28 January 2020

Former Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporters Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin remain locked in a seemingly endless legal struggle after the Appeal Court this morning rejected a complaint challenging the re-investigation into politically motivated espionage charges against the two journalists.

No explanation was given for the decision, and a written justification outlining the court’s reasoning will only be available to the defence team on request. No timeframe or trial date has yet been set for the re-investigation.

This morning’s verdict follows on from a Phnom Penh Municipal Court decision last October to further investigate allegations that the two reporters had "supplied a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defence”. A previous challenge lodged by the two journalists against the re-investigation into charges under Articles 38 and 39 of the human trafficking law was also rejected in late December 2019.

16 January 2020

We, the undersigned Cambodian civil society groups, call on the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to ensure that the long-awaited trial of former opposition leader Kem Sokha is open to the public, independent media outlets and the full participation of civil society organisations. We also call on the court to record and broadcast the trial proceedings live, as they have done in the past.

Kem Sokha’s trial on charges of “conspiring with a foreign power” – for which no credible evidence has yet been made public and which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison – is of significant public interest both to Cambodians across the country and those living overseas.

1 December 2019

To mark International Human Rights Day on December 10 2019, LICADHO is publishing summaries of major events and human rights abuses spanning the last decade. Each day will feature a new year, starting on December 1 with a summary of events in 2010 and culminating on December 10 with a look back at 2019.

3 October 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.

12 February 2019

Cambodia's human rights situation continued to deteriorate in 2018, with the ongoing closure of democratic and civil society space as well as the silencing of government critics and independent media.

30 January 2019

Cambodia’s human rights record comes under review at the UN Human Rights Council today as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.

LICADHO contributed to two joint submissions with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Forum-Asia which catalogue state repression of human rights defenders, media and civil society, as well as the human cost of rampant land grabbing.

31 May 2018

Former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin were interviewed by an investigating judge at Phnom Penh Municipal Court today on charges brought under the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation.

The two men worked for RFA until the media outlet shut its Phnom Penh Bureau in September 2017, citing government repression and the forced closure of its FM radio broadcasts as part of an ongoing crackdown on critical media.

They were arrested and detained on 14 November 2017. Four days later they were charged with treason and sent to pre-trial detention in Phnom Penh's chronically overcrowded Correctional Centre 1 (CC1). The trafficking charges, which are part of a second separate case against the pair, were added later.

16 May 2018

Two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists charged with treason were brought to Phnom Penh Municipal Court today to decide whether their six months in pre-trial detention will be extended or if they will be released (update below).

Under Cambodian law, felony suspects can only be held in pre-trial detention for six months unless a judge rules that a further six month period is necessary for an ongoing investigation. No evidence substantiating the charges has been made public.

At a bail hearing in March, Presiding Judge Khim Pon said an investigation was still underway and that releasing the men could result in “serious damage”.

19 April 2018

The Appeal Court rejected a bail request appeal today by two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin. It was the second bail application by the two men who have been held in pre-trial detention on treason charges since 18 November 2017. The court justified the rejection by claiming they could attempt to flee.

Sothearin and Chhin were arrested on 14 November 2017 and charged under Article 445 of the Criminal Code which covers providing information to foreign states or agents which can “undermine national defence”. No evidence to support the charges has been made public.

The reporters worked for RFA’s Khmer language service until the US-funded media outlet shut its Phnom Penh Bureau on 12 September 2017, citing government repression and the forced closure of its FM radio broadcasts.

16 March 2018

Former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin were denied bail at the Supreme Court today. Upholding an Appeal Court decision to continue their pre-trial detention, Presiding Judge Khim Pon claimed an investigation was still underway and that releasing the men could result in “serious damage”.

Sothearin and Chhin were arrested on 14 November 2017 and charged on suspicion of treason. They have spent 118 days in Phnom Penh’s overcrowded CC1 prison.

The men worked for RFA’s Khmer language service until the US-funded media outlet shut its Phnom Penh Bureau on 12 September 2017, citing government repression and the forced closure of its FM radio broadcasts.

18 November 2017

Two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists were charged at Phnom Penh Municipal Court this afternoon on suspicion of treason and sent to pre-trial detention at Correctional Centre 1 (CC1). Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin have been detained by police since Tuesday night, accused of sending news reports to US-based media.

Both men worked for RFA until the media outlet shut its Phnom Penh Bureau on 12 September 2017, citing government repression and the forced closure of its FM radio broadcasts.

Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin were charged under Article 445 of the Criminal Code which covers providing information to foreign states or agents which can “undermine national defence”. The charge carries a prison sentence of between 7 and 15 years.