Cambodia Supreme Court upholds treason convictions of 2 journalists, raising press freedom questions

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the treason conviction and 14-year prison sentence of two journalists who posted photographs on Facebook last year related to border clashes with Thailand, prompting new accusations from rights groups that Prime Minister Hun Manet ‘s government is influencing the courts to quash press freedoms.

The high court issued its decision after a short hearing, ruling that the convictions of Phorn Sopheap of Battambang Post TV Online and Pheap Pheara of TSP 68 TV Online were firmly grounded in Cambodian law, said Kang Pothe Vireak, one of the defense team.

“The bogus prosecution and draconian prison sentences handed down to these two journalists shows the Cambodian authorities’ disdain for media freedom,” Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press.

“By criminalizing journalism and jailing reporters, Hun Manet’s government is restricting independent sources of information for the Cambodian people and hampering the ability of journalists to tell stories about Cambodia to the world.”

Cambodia’s Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra defended the decision, saying the court had reached an independent decision based upon the law, which he said “protects journalism while also safeguarding national security, political stability and national defense.”

“Cambodia fully respects press freedom and the vital role of journalists in a democratic society,” he told the AP. “However, journalists — like all citizens — must distinguish between legitimate journalism and conduct that violates the law. Freedom of expression is a protected constitutional right, but it is not unlimited, nor does it provide immunity from criminal liability.”

Cambodia ranked 161st out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, “placing it among the states where the press freedom situation is considered ’very serious.’”

The two men were arrested last July while returning from reporting trips to the border on allegations they posted photographs they took in a restricted military zone on Facebook. They denied the charges, saying they had permission to be in the area where they shot photos.

One image showing land mines was widely republished by Thai media outlets and bolstered Thailand’s claims that Cambodia had laid new mines along the border that wounded patrolling Thai soldiers.

Cambodia had officially denied using land mines in the conflict, saying it adhered to international agreements banning their use. Cambodian authorities said the mines might have been left over from decades of conflict that ended in the late 1990s.

The border fighting in July and December displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Thailand and Cambodia and killed about 100 soldiers and civilians. There has been no new fighting since a December ceasefire, though tensions remain high.

In December last year, Siem Reap Provincial Court convicted the two journalists of treason and sentenced them each to 14 years in prison, finding them guilty of “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense.”

More than a dozen national and international journalism associations wrote a joint letter calling on the government to withdraw its case after the men’s convictions were upheld by a lower court of appeal in March.

Am Sam Ath, the operations director of Cambodian human rights group Licadho, said he was disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision, saying the journalists should have been tried under Cambodia’s law on the press, which guarantees freedom of the press but imposes restrictions related to national security, defamation and public order and carries much lighter penalties than the criminal code.

“They are journalists, and I think that when they make mistakes related to their articles or their professionalism, they should be convicted according to the press law, not the penal code like this,” he said.

The decision came less than a week after the same court upheld the incitement conviction of Rong Chhun, a prominent opposition politician, which again renewed focus on the government’s efforts to quash criticism.

The 56-year-old was found guilty last year of inciting social unrest after meeting with villagers displaced by government construction projects, in what was widely seen as one of many legal moves taken by Hun Manet’s government to silence critics.

Under almost four decades of autocratic former Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia was widely criticized for human rights abuses that included suppression of freedom of speech and association. He was succeeded in August 2023 by Hun Manet, his American-educated son, but there have been few signs of political liberalization.

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Rising reported from Bangkok.