The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the detention of journalist Hang Sakhorn on a charge of criminal libel, part of a growing government crackdown on freedom of expression in Cambodia.
Sakhorn, editor of the occasional newspaper Ponleu Samaki, was arrested December 2 over an article published in September that accused state prosecutor Ven Yoeun of accepting a bribe of $3,000 in connection with a land dispute case. Yoeun denied the accusation and filed a criminal defamation suit against the newspaper in September.
The Kompong Speu provincial court has not set a date for Sakhorn's trial and has restricted his visitation rights, according to the Club of Cambodian Journalists and the Cambodian Association to Protect Journalists.
"Criminalising defamation has a chilling effect on press freedom," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. "We call on the Cambodian government to immediately release Hang Sakhorn and to uphold press freedoms outlined in the 1994 Press Law." The Press Law specifically bans the jailing of journalists for their writings or commentary.
"Attempts to silence the press through criminal law are an assault on justice and the basic right to freedom of expression," said International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) President Christopher Warren. "We call on the Cambodian Government to drop all criminal charges against Hang Sakhorn immediately," said Warren. "The IFJ has a clear message when it comes to defamation: 'don't jail journalists'. No journalist should be put in jail for doing their work," he said.
On October 11, police arrested radio journalist Mam Sonando, who was charged with criminal defamation for critical reports his Beehive Radio FM 105 aired concerning a border demarcation treaty Prime Minister Hun Sen is brokering with Vietnam. Sonando was refused bail on November 4 and his health has steadily declined in cramped prison conditions, sources told CPJ. Following Sonando's arrest, many of Cambodia's leading human rights advocates, trade union activists and opposition party members have fled the country or gone into hiding. IFJ says the government crackdown is creating a climate a fear among journalists in the country.
"Sakhorn's arrest is not only a blow to press freedom but a blow to democratic freedom," said the IFJ president. "Criminal defamation remains one of the biggest threats to journalists and to press freedom in Asia. We call on governments throughout the region to remove criminal defamation from their statutes," he said.
In late November, the government issued a directive to state-owned television and radio stations barring them from reading or commenting on newspaper stories on the air, according to Phnom Penh-based press freedom groups. The government tightly controls all seven of Cambodia's television stations and all but two radio stations. Due to high illiteracy rates and poor transportation infrastructure, most Cambodians receive their news via electronic media.
On November 30, the Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC), a newly-formed coalition of rights advocates, launched a yellow ribbon campaign to raise public awareness of freedom of expression violations in the country following the recent arrest and detention of several government critics. The alliance comprises more than 20 NGOs advocating broad human rights, including free expression and access to basic services and government transparency.
Beehive Radio Station owner Mam Sonando and Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association President Rong Chhun, along with at least six other persons, are currently under detention pending their trial for defamation and charges of public incitement brought against them by the government. They have been accused of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and are alleged to have incited public resentment against the government over their public comments on the government’s border negotiations with Vietnam.
Prime Minister Hun Sen reiterated on November 29 that the government allows freedom of expression but said nobody should accuse him of selling land to Vietnam. "We give you the right to talk, but you accused me of being a national traitor, selling the land," the Prime Minister said. "Let the court decide about the crime and how long you should stay in prison," he added.
