Cambodia Supreme Court upholds treason convictions of two journalists
10 reported
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. The high court ruled 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, according to defense team member Kang Pothe Vireak. The two men were arrested last July while returning from reporting trips to the border on allegations they posted photographs taken in a restricted military zone. They denied the charges, saying they had permission to be in the area where they shot photos. The decision prompted criticism from rights groups and praise from Cambodia’s information minister, who said the court reached an independent decision based on law. The case is based on a single source, ABC News, and has not been cross-referenced with other outlets.
What’s reported
Cambodia’s Supreme Court upheld the treason conviction and 14-year prison sentence of journalists Phorn Sopheap and Pheap Pheara.
The journalists were accused of posting Facebook photos from a restricted military zone during border clashes with Thailand last year.
The high court ruled the convictions were firmly grounded in Cambodian law, per defense team member Kang Pothe Vireak.
The two men were arrested last July and denied the charges, stating they had permission to be in the area.
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.
Cambodia officially denied using land mines, saying it adhered to international agreements banning their use.
The border fighting in July and December displaced hundreds of thousands and killed about 100 soldiers and civilians.
In December last year, Siem Reap Provincial Court convicted the journalists of treason for “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense.”
More than a dozen journalism associations wrote a joint letter calling on the government to withdraw the case after a lower court upheld the convictions in March.
Cambodia ranked 161st out of 180 countries in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.
Key figures
Phorn Sopheap, journalist for Battambang Post TV Online
Pheap Pheara, journalist for TSP 68 TV Online
Kang Pothe Vireak, defense team member
Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch
Neth Pheaktra, Cambodia’s Minister of Information
Am Sam Ath, operations director of Licadho
Rong Chhun, opposition politician
Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia
Hun Sen, former Prime Minister of Cambodia
Sources: abcnews.com
