A Cambodian appeals court on 26 March upheld 14-year prison sentences for two journalists convicted of treason over a photo taken in a military-restricted area near the Thai border, local media and rights groups reported.
Pheap Phara and Phorn Sopheap were arrested in July after posting an image on Facebook showing them with Cambodian soldiers at Ta Krabei Temple, a historic site near the disputed frontier. The photo later circulated in Thai media, which claimed it revealed unmarked landmines, though Cambodia has denied such allegations.
The pair were convicted in December for “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defence,” a charge they denied. During the appeal, they requested a reclassification of the charges, arguing their content was intended to highlight soldiers’ resilience, not to aid a foreign state.
Sixteen local and regional press organizations criticized the ruling, warning that the harsh sentences could intimidate journalists from reporting in the public interest. “The use of broadly defined national security charges raises serious concerns about freedom of expression,” their statement said.
Information Ministry spokesman Tep Asnarith defended the convictions, saying the case serves as “a lesson for journalists to carefully consider national security and uphold the national interest,” adding that “freedom of the press must go hand in hand with responsibility.”
Cambodia ranks 161st out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.