Author: Aisha Noor
December 19, 2024
HRRC strongly condemns the arrest of Mech Dara and the suppression of free speech and freedom of the press.
News Brief
Human rights organizations are outcrying the arrest of Cambodian investigative journalist Mech Dara who was soon to prosecute human trafficking and cyber scam activities. Dara, who was traveling by car together with his family from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh, was arrested by military police on September 30th. His arrest comes after his recent posts on social media about environmental degradation due to the activities of quarries which local authorities described as fake news.
Mech Dara, who won the 2023 U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Hero Award for outing online scam centers, stands accused of incitement “to provoke serious social chaos” – a criminal act that, under Cambodian law, can attract a one to two-year jail term for each count. Dara has published work regarding Cambodia’s involvement in transnational human trafficking and his work has received international attention and he has been threatened.
Much of the press has not been able to report on the case of Dara independently. Still, his arrest has been described as part of the crackdown on the freedom of the press in Cambodia as media houses have been targeted systematically. The Voice of Democracy ceased operations in 2023 and Cambodia remains low in the press freedom index.
LICADHO and Amnesty International, along with other human rights organizations, have urged the Cambodian government to unconditionally release Dara, stating that it is an abuse of powers to charge a journalist in a bid to frustrate him into silence. The U.S. Embassy and several other international organizations have criticized the situation and called on the Cambodian authorities to respect the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Glossary
Cyber Scam: Online fraud to steal personal or financial information.
Environmental Degradation: Damage to the environment from human activity.
Fake News: False information spread as news to mislead people.
Human Trafficking: Illegal trade of humans for exploitation or forced labor.
Incitement: Encouraging illegal or harmful actions.
Press Freedom Index: A ranking of how free the press is in different countries.
Quarries: Excavation sites for extracting minerals or stone.
Suppressed: Hidden or restrained, often by authorities.
Systematically: Done in a planned, organized way.
Transnational: Involving multiple countries.
Sources