Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Journos: Drop RFA charges

Journos: Drop RFA charges

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Former RFA reporters Yeang Sothearin (in blue shirt) and Oun Chhin (back, in white T-shirt) are escorted by officials after being detained for questioning in November. FACEBOOK

Journos: Drop RFA charges

Some 40 local and international journalists from several media outlets in Cambodia released an open letter on Thursday, calling for the court to drop charges against two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporters.

The call comes following the release of journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin on bail in August, with the pair remaining under court supervision on espionage charges.

The pair were originally arrested on November 14, 2017, with police initially saying they detained them for allegedly running an unlicensed karaoke production studio.

The Ministry of Interior later confirmed they were being investigated for allegedly setting up an RFA broadcast studio, which had been banned by the government a month earlier.

“We are very concerned over the serious charges against Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin. In addition, putting them under the court’s supervision makes it hard for them to live and continue their careers as journalists."

“They can’t move to live in another place without permission from the investigating judge, can’t travel abroad, and must show up at a commune police station every month,” the letter, dated January 10, read.

The letter continued that the charges serve to intimidate other journalists and negatively impact Cambodia’s press freedom.

Voice of America reporter Sun Narin, one of the signatories, said journalists must help one another when they are encountering difficulties.

“I appeal to all levels of the courts to put an end to the supervision of the RFA reporters and drop the charges against them,” he said.

Sothearin expressed his appreciation for the support, which he considered as a sign of shared understanding of the hardships faced by journalists in Cambodia.

“They are journalists, so they can read our mind and know our difficulties. Therefore, they have been trying to call for help, pushing for an acceptable solution and justice for both of us,” he said.

Sothearin said he is unable to work due to the court’s supervision order and hopes that by dropping the charges he will be able to find a job to support his family.

Ministry of Information spokesman Phos Sovann said the case is under the court’s jurisdiction, so he could not comment.

Media trainer and Cambodia Institute for Media Studies director Moeun Chhean Nariddh supported the appeal, saying it gave the two journalists much needed support and a sense that they were not alone in battling the court’s decision.

He added that the court should drop the charges as it was severely impacting their ability to live.

“The letter is just a statement to the country’s leaders, but the decision depends on the court. I wish the court would drop the charges because its supervision impacts their standard of living,” Chhean Nariddh said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Rare plant fetches high prices from Thai, Chinese

    Many types of plants found in Cambodia are used as traditional herbs to treat various diseases, such as giloy or guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) or aromatic/sand ginger (Kaempferia galangal) or rough cocklebur (Xanthium Strumartium). There is also a plant called coral, which is rarely grown

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Cambodia returns 15M Covid jabs to China

    Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia will return 15 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to China for donation to other countries. The vaccines in question were ordered but had not yet arrived in Cambodia. While presiding over the Ministry of Health’s annual meeting held on