Cambodia: Court orders fresh probe in spying case against reporters

A Cambodian court ordered a fresh investigation in an espionage trial of two journalists, on October 3, and postponed the verdict. Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, the two journalists, had worked for a radio station backed by the U.S. government and were charged with supplying information to a foreign state. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge ruled that the investigation was insufficient and the confiscated electronic equipment needs re-examination. The case has also been assigned to a new investigating judge.

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Journalists not satisfied

Though the journalists remain free on bail, they were not satisfied with the ruling. “When I came today, I was strongly expecting that I would get justice from the court or get a clear decision by the court, but that did not happen,” said Sothearin. “I am not afraid of the court conducting a new investigation into our cases, but by doing so it will affect our freedom,” he added. They were released on conditional bail after the last general election with their passports confiscated.

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'Hostages in the current situation'

The journalists were working for Radio Free Asia (RFA) which had to close its Phnom Penh bureau in September 2017. RFA cited ‘unprecedented level’ of intimidation by the government as the reason behind shutting down the bureau. “I think we are hostages in the current situation, and I know that we would not be arrested if we had not worked for Radio Free Asia,” said co-defendant Uon Chhin. Southeast Asia representative of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, Shawn Crispin, demanded to stop ‘legal harassment’ of the former RFA reporters. “A new investigation into what were already spurious charges is unacceptable and will continue to cast a shadow over Cambodia’s darkening press freedom situation,” said Crispin.

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The threat of sanctions of Cambodia

The Cambodian government has been facing severe criticism from the western countries for the crackdown on dissent. The European Union (EU) is considering economic sanctions on Cambodia for suppressing democratic rights. Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen, world’s longest-serving prime minister, got re-elected after the 2018 general elections as the main opposition party was dissolved by a court order. 

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(With AP inputs)