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Hang ChakraEditorial by Pen Bona
Source: Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Socheata for KI-Media
Click here to read the article in Khmer
On 03 May, just like many other countries in the world, Cambodia will celebrate the World Press Freedom Day which is the basis of democracy itself. In Cambodia, freedom of the press has notably moved forward during the past two decades, but jail sentence still haunts journalists and it is a dark cloud casting its ominous shadow over press freedom in Cambodia.
Cambodia is a country that saw a noticeable progress in the freedom of the press, not just in comparison to the war period, but it also earns a good mark among the countries in the region.
However, the main obstacle to the progress of the press in Cambodia stems from the fact that journalists are still facing jail sentence for writing their opinions. The case of Hang Chakra, Editor-in-chief of the Khmer Machas Srok newspaper who was recently released from jail during the Cambodia New Year, is a sober reminder of this situation. This pro-opposition journalist was sentenced to 1-year of jail term for disinformation under a lawsuit brought up the government lawyer.
In reality, journalists do not enjoy any special immunity and they are just like any other citizens who would be responsible in front of the law, i.e. if a journalist commits a crime, he will face a criminal sentence just like anybody else. However, in order to guarantee the democratic freedom of expression, the law also protects journalists from being sent to jail for expressing their opinions.
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