Concerns grow over press freedoms in Cambodia after British journalist blacklisted from the country

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s Interior Ministry confirmed Wednesday it had blocked a British journalist known for his reporting on human rights abuses and environmental issues, an incident that comes amid growing concerns over press freedom in the Southeast Asian nation.

Gerald Flynn, a reporter with U.S.—based conservation news website Mongabay, was denied reentry into the country over problems with his visa after a brief trip to neighboring Thailand in January, said Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak.

He said Flynn claimed to be an electrician on his original visa application but instead worked as a journalist.

“He cheated Cambodia,” Sokhak said.

But Flynn called the claim “bizarre,” noting that the blacklisting came only days after he had been featured as a source in a France24 documentary scrutinizing Cambodia’s carbon offsetting projects.

“I have only ever worked as a journalist in Cambodia and have always represented myself as such to the government,” Flynn said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

“The lack of believable explanation or evidence from the government, coupled with the timing of my blacklisting, suggests I was denied entry to Cambodia as a result of my investigative journalism, which has often tied powerful elites to environmental destruction.”

In a statement this week, Mongabay said Flynn had been a journalist in Cambodia for five years and had always represented himself as such.

“He has consistently held a valid government-issued press pass during his five years,” the publication said.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who in 2023 succeeded his father Hun Sen after nearly four decades of authoritarian rule, has shown few signs of political liberalization, cracking down on political opponents and critics.

In September, award-winning reporter Mech Dara was arrested, and quickly convicted, on charges of incitement following reports he published exposing online scams and corruption.

At the time, the U.S. State Department said it was “deeply troubled” by his arrest, and about four dozen Cambodian media organizations and civil society groups issued a joint statement calling for his immediate release and to “stop all forms of harassment against media organizations and journalists.”

In December, another journalist, Chhoeung Chheng, was shot and killed while reporting on the transport of illegally cut timber in Siem Reap province.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said the slaying showed the “grave danger environmental reporters face in Cambodia” and called for the government to do more to protect them.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand said it was “deeply concerned” about the blacklisting of Flynn, who served as president of the Overseas Press Club in Cambodia.

“This is another nail in the coffin of the free press in Cambodia, which has seen local and foreign journalists severely intimidated in recent years and numerous news organizations driven out of business.”