Journalists interview Kem Sokha’s defense lawyers outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in February. POST STAFF
A senior Ministry of Information official has refuted as “incorrect” a statement made by the Cambodian Centre for Human Right (CCHR) which asserted that independent media in Cambodia has been “targeted”.
The rebuttal was made by Ministry of Information spokesperson Meas Sophorn following a statement issued by CCHR on April 27 in the run-up to World Press Freedom Day on May 13.
“In my observation, some civil society organisations have defined ‘independent journalists’ as those who publish news critical to the government,” he said.
He described such a definition as “not complete and correct”, and said that it served only to disrupt solidarity within the profession in Cambodia, as well as accelerate the loss of press freedom in the country.
CCHR said in its April 27 statement that independent media have been “targeted” and that the Centre’s recent findings had confirmed that press freedom in Cambodia has been “severely violated” in recent years.
“Journalists working in Cambodia often come under fear, surveillance, threat, and persecution through the court for their legal work,” it said.
It noted that from September 2020 to August 2021, at least nine journalists have been threatened via court processes, such as court summons as well as arbitrary detention, and observed that the handing down of harsh sentences by courts had been politically motivated. CCHR highlighted that seven media outlets have had their license revoked by the information ministry.
Sophorn responded that press freedom in Cambodia has been ensured under press law as well as legal standards in accordance with the Kingdom’s constitution, and stated that the media and journalists in Cambodia have the right to publish “without censorship”.
“The information ministry has always accepted… the value of the media and journalists who are working in Cambodia, without discrimination for political leanings or whether a media [outlet] is small or big. They have all been protected by the laws in place,” he said.
According to the ministry, Cambodia has 2,100 traditional and new media outlets, with nearly 6,000 local and international journalists and media sector workers.
Information minister Khieu Kanharith said he supported the promotion of press freedom in Cambodia, but expressed disappointment with countries he said were guilty of “double standards”, according to a statement released by the Phnom Penh municipal information department.
The ministry promotes freedom of speech, which has allowed Cambodians to exercise these rights “equally and without fear” within the confines of the law, Kanharith said in the department’s statement on April 29.
“Promoting these freedoms is to enable all Cambodians to make informed decisions regarding their leaders. Therefore, I hope that all of our compatriots, domestic and abroad, will continue to support the principle of freedom of speech and the principle of press freedom,” he was quoted as saying.
Kanharith also called for a “single standard” for press freedom to be exercised by all countries, which he contended would be conducive to peace as well as “free decision-making and other freedoms.”
Cambodia is set to observe the 29th World Press Freedom Day on May 3 under the theme “Journalism Under Digital Siege”. Royal Cambodian Armed Forces deputy commander and Royal Cambodian Army commander, Lieutenant General Hun Manet, is due to attend the national commemoration event on behalf of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
