Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal to restore a semblance of credibility by dropping the absurd charges which combine “espionage” and “pornography” brought against Cambodian journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, whose appeal was dismissed Monday, December 30.
Their appeal was dismissed on Monday December 30, the legal nightmare continues for Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin . The two Cambodian reporters, who worked for the US radio station Radio Free Asia (RFA) before its Phnom Penh office was forced to close in August 2017, were arrested over two years ago, upstream of the ban on main opposition party. Last October , when they had already spent nine months in prison, the courts refused to drop the charges against them.
Worse, the decision taken on December 30 by the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal adds the charge of “pornography” to the charges of “espionage” initially brought against them by the investigating judge.
On November 14, 2017, in the wake of their arrest, the pro-government website Fresh News had indeed leaked information according to which the police had found pornographic material “produced with foreign nationals” on the computer of the one of the two journalists. It is on the basis of this pseudo-information that the judge decided to continue the investigation. Their lawyer has 30 days to appeal again.
With this perfectly fallacious accusation, the behavior of Cambodian justice sinks into abjectness, deplores Daniel Bastard, manager of the Asia-Pacific office of RSF. Everything in this case feels the blow set by the power in place to intimidate all Cambodian journalists. We call on the Court of Appeal to regain some semblance of credibility by dropping once and for all the ubiquitous charges against Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin. “
Due to the absurd charges brought against them, the two journalists had been detained 272 days in absolutely grim conditions in Prey Sar prison, as they had told in a video produced by RSF after their release on August 21 2018.
Today placed on probation, they can neither exercise their profession nor leave Cambodian territory. They also described in a second video this “sword of Damocles” which still hangs over them and their family.
Cambodia is 143rd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index established by RSF in 2019
Copyright ©2016, Reporters Without Borders. Used with the permission of Reporters Without Borders(RSF) CS 90247 75083 Paris Cedex 02 https://rsf.org
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