Two Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture video

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 10 months ago |  CPJ News Alert

BANGKOK—Cambodia should release journalists Duong Akhara and Lay Socheat, both of whom have been arrested and detained for incitement after publishing a video allegedly showing a man being tortured in a cyberscam center, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

Local S.A. TVHD Online’s Akhara and Cambodia Star Daily News 24/24’s Socheat were detained on January 21 after their outlets shared the video, which was allegedly filmed at a cyber scam compound in the capital, Phnom Penh, according to news reports and local rights group Licadho.

Phnom Penh police issued a statement accusing the journalists of spreading false information that caused social chaos, jeopardized national security, and affected the dignity of national leaders. Both have apologized for publishing the video, according to S.A. TVHD Online, which posted copies of their apology letters to Prime Minister Hun Manet on its Facebook page.

“Cambodian authorities must drop the incitement charges against journalists Duong Akhara and Lay Socheat and free them immediately,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Journalists should never be imprisoned for merely doing their jobs of reporting the news.”

The journalists face charges of incitement to commit a felony under Article 495 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a Licadho representative told CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. The journalists are being detained at Phnom Penh’s Correctional Center 1 prison, the Licadho source said.

Journalists who have reported on Cambodia’s criminal cyber scam centers — where workers are often trafficked, held by force, and forced to defraud their online victims — have faced threats and reprisals, according to news reports and CPJ reporting.

Neither news outlet immediately replied to CPJ’s emailed request for comment. Cambodia’s Ministry of Information did not reply to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.

Photo caption: This 2017 photo released by the Cambodian authorities shows numerous telephones, cell phones, and computer networking equipment confiscated from suspected internet phone scammers. (Cambodia Immigration Police of the Interior Ministry via AP)