Thursday 20 / February / 2025
Phnom Penh: Cambodia's government has increasingly been accused of targeting local and foreign journalists reporting on sensitive issues, raising the question of whether reporting in the Southeast Asian country is becoming riskier than ever.
In one of the most recent incidents, UK journalist Gerald Flynn was denied reentry into Cambodia at Siem Reap International Airport last month following a short vacation in neighboring Thailand.
Flynn said Cambodian immigration officials informed him that his visa was fake and that he was "permanently banned" from returning to Cambodia. He was then forced to board a flight back to Thailand.
Flynn, a staff writer at Mongabay, a US-based conservation news website, had recently contributed to a documentary from a French media outlet about Cambodia's environmental challenges — findings that the Cambodian government labeled as "fake news."
The dangers of reporting in Cambodia
Nathan Paul Southern, a journalist and operations director at the Eyewitness Project, an investigative journalism organisation, has reported regularly in Cambodia in recent years. He warns that any reporting that embarrasses the state is dangerous.
"Inside Cambodia, pretty much everyone is self-censoring, quitting the profession or running away. Reporting on environmental issues is especially dangerous, but covering other crises that embarrass the government [is] getting people killed or arrested, too," he told DW.
In December, Cambodian environmental journalist Chhoeung Chheng was shot while investigating illegal deforestation in the Siem Reap province. He later died from his wounds. Authorities claimed they had caught the shooter and the incident was a personal dispute.
Chhoeung's death echoes a similar case from a decade earlier when journalist Tiang Try was shot and killed while investigating illegal logging in Cambodia.
Cambodian authorities have also been accused of cracking down on environmental activists' advocacy with lengthy prison sentences.
In July 2024, 10 members of the activist group Mother Nature were sentenced to between six and eight years in prison for conspiring against the Cambodian state.
They had been investigating waste pollution in Phnom Penh's Tonle Sap River and had long campaigned against environmental destruction throughout Cambodia, alleging links to corruption.
"The Cambodian government has become increasingly aggressive towards any form of criticism, however mild, and for many people this leads to life-threatening or life-altering outcomes, whether they are brave and committed journalists like Gerry or just ordinary people posting concerns on Facebook," Southern said.
"Cambodian journalists, activists and NGO workers who can't choose to leave the country are bravely taking the biggest risks and getting the least amount of international support and attention."
Imprisoning journalists
In November, Mech Dara, a well-known Cambodian journalist, announced he was quitting the profession two months after being arrested and convicted for incitement following the publication of reports exposing online scams and corruption. Dara spent over 30 days in pre-trial detention and still faces up to two years in prison for the alleged offenses.
His charges are similar to those of Cambodian journalist Sok Oudom, who was sentenced to 20 months in prison for broadcasting false news with intent to cause incitement in 2020.
Since 2017, several Cambodian outlets have had their media licenses revoked, including the Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of Cambodia's last independent media outlets.
As a result, more Cambodians are turning to social media for news. However, even posting on social media can be risky for journalists.
In 2021, Khou Piseth was charged with incitement for criticizing officials on Facebook over COVID-19 measures, according to news reports. The same year, Youn Chhiv, who ran the Koh Kong Hot News website, was sentenced to a year in prison after he "posted comments to cause confusion" on Facebook, said Vey Phearom, deputy prosecutor at the provincial court in Koh Kong.
'Attack on journalism'
The Cambodian Journalist Alliance (CamboJA), a politically neutral, membership-based association of journalists, has recorded at least 14 cases of reporters being legally or physically targeted between July and September 2024.
Nop Vy, CamboJA's executive director, said the Cambodian government is becoming intolerant of investigative journalism.
"We [have] found that [Cambodia's] criminal code has been [used] against journalists rather than [the] civil code or press law, which is creating [a] scarring environment for the press," he told DW via email.
"The Cambodian government's decision to deny British journalist Gerald Flynn reentry to Cambodia and ban him from the country is a blatant attack on journalism and serves as yet another example of the Cambodian authorities' intolerance of critical and investigative journalism."
In response to concerns about press freedom, Cambodia's Ministry of Information has emphasised its commitment to protecting journalists and ensuring a free press.
In a statement on the state of the media in Cambodia in 2024 reported by The Phnom Penh Post, a ministry spokesman pledged to continue creating a safe working environment for journalists in Cambodia, supporting their professional development, and upholding press freedom.
"We urge all journalists to work with honesty, integrity and impartiality, maintaining dignity and discipline while upholding public interest, adhering to ethical standards and respecting journalistic principles to enhance the value and quality of journalism and the sustainability of the media sector in Cambodia," the statement said.
A powerful ruling 'dynasty'
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has ruled the country since 1979.
Many critics call Cambodia's leaders the "Hun Dynasty." Former Prime Minister Hun Sen led Cambodia for nearly four decades before handing power to his son, current Prime Minister Hun Manet, in 2023.
Under their rule, the government has tightened its grip on power — banning political opponents, targeting independent media outlets, and cracking down on critics and dissidents at home and overseas.
Aleksandra Beilakowska, advocacy manager for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), warns that Cambodia is suppressing independent media to control public opinion and further consolidate its power.
"By repressing reporters, the Cambodian government is sending a chilling message and threatens those who are still trying to hold those in power accountable," she said.
Cambodia sits at 151st place in the latest RSF World Press Freedom Index rankings out of 180 countries and territories, having fallen nine places in the past two years.
