The IPI global network condemns the Cambodian government’s order to block access to the websites and social media accounts of news outlets and a public database in advance of the country’s July 23 general election. Such actions are in direct contravention of democratic principles and Cambodian and international law. IPI calls on Prime Minister Hun Sen to immediately unblock these outlets and end his government’s ongoing crackdown on independent media.
On July 12, in a letter obtained by Voice of America Khmer, Cambodia’s telecommunications regulator ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to immediately block access to the websites and social media accounts of Cambodia Daily Khmer and Radio Free Asia following pressure from the state’s Information Ministry, which regulates Cambodia’s news media. A third outlet, Kamnotra—a public database of government documents that launched last month after the government’s closure of Voice of Democracy earlier this year—was also blocked.
In the letter, the government claimed that allowing the outlets to operate freely would “make confusion, affect the government’s honor and prestige, and fail to fulfill the operating conditions of the Information Ministry.” Restrictions on press activity in the leadup to elections is not new in Cambodia: in the days before the country’s last national election in 2018, the government blocked the websites of at least 15 news outlets.
A spokesperson from Radio Free Asia condemned the government’s most recent action to stifle the free press, calling the blockings a “clear violation of Cambodian law”. In a joint statement, the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association and other press freedom advocacy groups said the government’s action constituted “a serious violation of the people’s right to information”.
The leadup to Cambodia’s July 23 election, during which voters will choose members of the National Assembly, has been marred by government attempts to limit opposition and ensure the preeminence of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party. The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) currently holds all the parliamentary seats in the country, and is virtually guaranteed to win given that all viable opposition parties have been disqualified or dissolved by the government.
While Cambodia’s 1993 constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of information, the media environment in the country has become extremely restrictive in recent years following a crackdown that began in 2017. Very few independent media outlets continue to operate in Cambodia, and many journalists routinely face harassment, intimidation and arrest at the hands of authorities.
Cambodia’s press laws and criminal code are also vaguely worded, giving the government wide latitude to define what constitutes libel or defamation and target critical voices. Earlier this year, a Cambodia Daily Khmer reporter received death threats from a popular social media commentator, and three news websites saw their operating licenses revoked after publishing a report exposing government corruption.
“Censoring media outlets the week before a national election is a blatant and direct assault on the freedom of the press and the public’s right to information”, IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said. “Democracy requires that members of the public have the freedom to access timely, diverse and independent sources of news and information in order to make informed decisions about the future of their country and government. We urge Prime Minister Hun Sen to make an immediate course correction and restore access to these outlets in advance of Sunday’s election, and take concrete steps to restore the freedom of the press in Cambodia.”
