Key facts
- Cambodia's Supreme Court was expected to rule on the treason appeal of two journalists, Phorn Sopheap and Pheap Pheara.
- The journalists were convicted of treason for posting photographs taken in a restricted military zone on Facebook.
- They were sentenced to 14 years in prison each.
- The journalists deny the charges, asserting they had permission to be in the area.
- One photograph showed land mines, which bolstered Thailand's claims of new mine placements by Cambodia.
- Cambodia has denied using new land mines.
Cambodia's Supreme Court was expected to rule on Thursday on the appeal of two journalists, Phorn Sopheap and Pheap Pheara, who were convicted of treason for posting photographs related to border clashes with Thailand. The journalists were arrested last July after allegedly sharing images taken in a restricted military zone on Facebook, charges they deny, stating they had permission to be in the area.
They were sentenced to 14 years in prison each by the Siem Reap Provincial Court in December, a verdict upheld by a lower court of appeal in March. One widely published image depicted land mines, which supported Thailand's assertions that Cambodia had deployed new mines along the border, injuring Thai soldiers. Cambodia has officially denied laying new mines, attributing any found to past conflicts.
The ruling comes amid broader concerns about the independence of Cambodia's judiciary and the government's efforts to suppress criticism. This hearing follows the Supreme Court's recent upholding of an incitement conviction against opposition politician Rong Chhun. Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists have criticized the Cambodian government for using vague national security laws to criminalize legitimate reporting, with Cambodia ranking very low in global press freedom indices.