Cambodia Supreme Court upholds 14-year jail terms for journalists
Cambodia’s Supreme Court has upheld 14-year prison sentences for two journalists convicted of sharing defence-related information, a ruling condemned by press freedom groups as a crackdown on independent reporting.
Supreme Court upholds long prison terms for journalists
Cambodia’s Supreme Court has upheld 14-year prison sentences for two journalists, making the ruling final unless a royal pardon is granted.
The court decision, issued on Thursday (June 25) confirmed the convictions of Phorn Sopheap, 39, and Pheap Pheara, 41, both reporters for local outlets TSP 68 TV Online and Battambang Post TV Online.
The two men had previously lost an appeal at the Battambang Appeal Court in March.
Arrest linked to reporting near disputed border area
The journalists were arrested separately on July 31 2025 after returning from an assignment in Oddar Meanchey province, a border region near Thailand that has previously seen military clashes.
They were accused of producing content that allegedly revealed Cambodian military positions and strategy during a sensitive period of border tension.
Authorities cited Facebook posts containing photographs taken near Prasat Ta Kwai (Ta Krabei Temple), where images were said to have unintentionally captured what appeared to be unexploded anti-personnel landmines.
Thai media later circulated the images, alleging Cambodia was planting new mines in violation of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.
Conviction under national security law
The Siem Reap Provincial Court previously convicted the journalists under Article 445 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code for “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defence”.
The prosecution argued that their reporting exposed sensitive military information and posed risks to national security.
With the Supreme Court ruling, the 14-year sentences now stand as final, with the only remaining legal avenue being a royal pardon from the King of Cambodia.
Rights groups condemn verdict
International press freedom organisations and human rights groups have strongly criticised the ruling, arguing that treason-related charges are being used to suppress routine journalism.
Cambodia has faced repeated criticism over arrests of journalists, activists and environmental campaigners, including reporters involved in investigations into corruption and online scam networks.
Earlier this year, Freedom House, a US-based rights organisation, downgraded Cambodia’s press freedom rating, citing the near-total collapse of independent media in the country.
The journalists were reportedly working near the Thai border in an area that saw clashes last year. They were later accused of publishing material that allegedly exposed military deployments and operational strategies during the period of heightened tension, linked in part to the circulation of the contested photographs from Prasat Ta Kwai.
