Cambodia’s Supreme Court was expected to rule Thursday on the appeal of two journalists convicted of treason for publishing photographs related to border clashes with Thailand.
Phorn Sopheap of Battambang Post TV Online and Pheap Pheara of TSP 68 TV Online were arrested in July on allegations they posted photos from a restricted military zone on Facebook. The journalists deny the charges, stating they had permission to be in the area where they took the photographs and are seeking to overturn their 14-year prison sentences.
One of the disputed images, depicting land mines, was widely published by Thai media and supported Thailand's assertions that Cambodia had deployed new mines along the border, which had injured Thai soldiers. Cambodia had officially denied using land mines, citing international agreements banning their use and suggesting the mines might be remnants from past conflicts. The border skirmishes in July and December of the previous year resulted in hundreds of thousands of displacements and approximately 100 casualties among soldiers and civilians. A ceasefire was established in December, but tensions persist.
In December, the Siem Reap Provincial Court found the two journalists guilty of treason, specifically “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense.” Their convictions were upheld by a lower court of appeal in March. Following these decisions, over a dozen national and international journalism associations urged the Cambodian government to drop the case.
The Supreme Court's decision follows closely after it upheld the incitement conviction of prominent opposition politician Rong Chhun. This ruling further intensified scrutiny of the government's actions against perceived critics. Rong Chhun was convicted last year for inciting social unrest after meeting with villagers affected by government construction projects. This case, like others, is viewed by many as part of Prime Minister Hun Manet's government's strategy to suppress dissent.
Human Rights Watch has characterized such rulings as indicative of a lack of judicial independence from the ruling party, a claim the government refutes, asserting the Supreme Court's full autonomy. Cambodia has a history, under former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s nearly four-decade rule, of widespread human rights abuses, including the suppression of free speech and association. His successor, his son Hun Manet, took office in August 2023, but significant political liberalization has not materialized.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has accused the Cambodian government of utilizing ambiguous national security laws to criminalize legitimate reporting in the cases of Pheap Pheara and Phorn Sopheap. Reporters Without Borders ranked Cambodia 161st out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, classifying the country as having a “very serious” press freedom situation.