A document produced by the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia on July 12, revealed the intentions of authorities to restrict internet access for media outlets Radio Free Asia (RFA) and the Cambodia Daily, as well as the online public database Kamnotra, run by the Cambodian Center for Independent Media.
A ministry spokesperson claimed the outlets had failed to uphold ministry-defined operating standards and had denigrated the government. It also stated that Kamnotra was legally seen as a news outlet. On July 17, RFA reported that several of their websites were blocked by some ISPs, while Kamnotra said it had received reports of some users’ inability to access English and Khmer-language services while using certain ISPs.
The latest attacks on media follow a pattern of violations against independent media during this election cycle. In February, independent digital outlet Voice of Democracy (VOD) was shuttered after a direct order from Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen. It followed the February 11 publication of an article about Sen’s son, Hun Manet, personally approving humanitarian aid to Turkey under his father’s name. Several internet service providers then blocked VOD’s online services, with the Ministry of Information revoking its publishing and broadcast licenses on February 13. In the aftermath of the closure, Sen and his supporters were alleged to have conducted a campaign of harassment and online abuse against VOD staff.
IFJ sources have also reported that online harassment, abuse, and other intimidation of journalists has been rampant in the lead-up to the national elections.
On June 19, the chief correspondent and anchor for the Cambodia Daily claimed to have received a death threat from pro-government social media personality Pheng Vannak via Facebook, for allegedly criticising Hun Sen and his family on a news program. The prime minister also directly threatened RFA’s Khmer Service on June 4, calling for the removal of an unnamed reporter if the outlet wished to restore its Phnom Penh base of operations. Earlier on May 31, an Interior Ministry spokesperson was alleged to have threatened CamboJA News reporter Khuon Narim with imprisonment for coverage of the barred Candlelight Party.
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), to which with the long-reigning Prime Minister Hun Sen is aligned, is the clear frontrunner in the election. The leading alternative Candlelight Party was denied the right to register for the election, with candidates and political exiles and activists targeted.
This election represents a generational transformation within the CPP. A CamboJA review of available candidates reveals that nearly a quarter of all running candidates are related to another political prospect. Many high-profile politicians are expected to hand on positions of power to their children. Sen’s son, Hun Manet, is a recently promoted four-star general and is one of several direct successors expected to inherit top government positions.
Hun Sen, now 70, has ruled Cambodia since 1985. A former Khmer Rouge official who defected to Vietnam before the regime's fall, Hun Sen is now the world’s longest-serving prime minister.
The UN set Cambodia up to be a democracy in the 1990s after the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime. Despite claims of democracy, rigged elections, co-opting of opponents, jailing and exile of others by the Hun Sen regime as well as widespread attacks on the media and civil society have effectively rendered the country an authoritarian state.
The IFJ said: “The threats, harassment, and outlet closures present throughout this election cycle are inherently counter-intuitive to Cambodia’s commitments to press freedom and the democratic process to which it is supposed to respect. The IFJ strongly condemns these attacks at this critical time for the Cambodian people.”