Cambodia: the disputed closure of an independent media worries before the elections


Ith Sothoeuth, media director of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), which oversees VOD, in his office in Phnom Penh on February 13, 2023, TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP

It’s like turning off the voice of the peoplecries VOD journalist Khan Leakna. Her tears fill the empty editorial staff of Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of Cambodia’s last independent media outlets, which closed on Monday (February 13) after a controversial article about the prime minister’s son.

The disputed shutdown of this news website has revived concerns six months before legislative elections in this small kingdom of Southeast Asia, held with an iron fist by Hun Sen for nearly forty years. “They accuse us of being part of the opposition. We only talked about the people’s problems“, she launched, comforted by a colleague.

Controversy over the prime minister’s son

Authorities have blamed the online outlet for an inaccurate article they say about Hun Manet approving financial aid to Turkey following the devastating earthquake a week ago.

A VOD journalist in tears following the decision of the Ministry of Information, February 13, 2023. TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP

Validating such aid does not fall within the competence of the prime minister’s son, who holds important military posts – a way of preparing himself to succeed his father when he decides to leave power.

End of broadcast on the spot

Representatives of the Ministry of Information, accompanied by police, went on Monday morning to the premises of VOD, in Phnom Penh, to deliver the document notifying the revocation of the broadcasting license, noted a journalist from the AFP on site.

The VOD site, which ceased operations at 10 a.m. (3 a.m. Paris time), was only accessible in Cambodia through a VPN. “We hope it’s not the end yet“, declared Ith Sothoeuth, the media director of the organization which manages VOD.

Demonstration of support

In the street, around twenty demonstrators expressed their support for this online media. “We ask the Cambodian authorities to reconsider their decision“Wrote the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, in a press release.

National polls in July are expected to strengthen the stranglehold of Hun Sen, 70, in the absence of influential rivals who face an intense campaign of repression, denounced by human rights groups .

VOD support movement, in Phnom Penh, February 13, 2023. Suy Se / AFP

Attacking VOD shows that the elections will not be free and fair“, reacted Phil Robertson, the deputy director for Asia of the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW). “This is a clear warning to other critical voices a few months before the elections. (…) This arbitrary closure (…) will paralyze all those who still dare to ask questions about the actions of the Cambodian government“, for its part commented Amnesty International.


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