Cambodia: Authorities criminalise commentary and reporting on border conflict and prosecute and jail critics

The state of civic space in Cambodia is rated as 'repressed’ more than two years since Hun Manet took power. Repressive laws are routinely misused to harass and criminalise human rights defenders, trade unionists, youth activists, journalists and the political opposition. Arrested individuals are frequently denied bail, while prolonged pretrial detention and secretive judicial proceedings are used to silence dissent. The Cambodian judiciary continues to operate in a politicised and opaque manner, reinforcing a broader climate of impunity for those who target activists and critics of the state. Peaceful protests are systematically supressed and there are excessive restrictions on association under the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organisations (LANGO).

On 24th July 2025, intense fighting erupted along the disputed Thailand-Cambodia border, particularly near the Ta Muen Thom temple, situated between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province. The conflict stems from long-standing tensions over colonial-era demarcation lines, a source of contention for decades. The violence resulted in at least 38 fatalities, the majority being civilians, and led to the displacement of over 300,000 people across both countries.

After four days of hostilities, a ceasefire agreement was reached on 28th July 2025 in Malaysia, during emergency negotiations mediated by Malaysia and backed by the United States and China. The two countries signed a peace declaration in Malaysia in late October 2025 in a ceremony witnessed by US President Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. However, on 10th November, Thailand said it was suspending the implementation of the peace deal after soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion near the Cambodian border in Sisaket province.

On 3rd October 2025, the UN Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia. In the report, covering the human rights situation in the country from June 2024 to early June 2025, the Special Rapporteur highlighted that various civil society actors, such as human rights defenders, including environmental human rights defenders, were harassed, arrested, detained and sentenced to imprisonment. There were also multiple cases of transnational repression to harass, silence or punish dissent, criticism or human rights advocacy towards it, expressed from outside its territory.

In recent months, opposition members and activists have been criminalised for their criticism of the government as well as the handling of the border conflict as the new law to revoke citizenship for treason was passed by the National Assembly. The courts also upheld convictions of a union leader, environmental activist and community members involved in land disputes. Cambodian journalists were also detained over their reporting of the border conflict while the trial of 37 activists detained over CLV-DTA protests began.

Association

Persecution of opposition members

Over the last few months, several opposition members were arrested and charged.

On 10th July 2025, the Phnom Penh Capital Court ordered Keo Heang, a Nation Power Party (NPP) member and provincial secretary, to be held in pre-trial detention at Kampong Speu provincial prison. Heang was arrested on 7th July 2025 for posting criticism of amendments to Cambodia’s Constitution and Nationality Law on Facebook and charged with “incitement to disturb social security” and “insult” under Articles 494, 495, and 502 of the Criminal Code.

On 18th August 2025, Eam Ravuth, a district deputy chief of the Nation Power Party (NPP), was sent to Correctional Center 1 after being charged with “Insulting the King” under Article 437 (bis) of the Criminal Code by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Ravuth had been missing since 15th August 2025, with his family unaware of his whereabouts until police publicly confirmed his arrest and charges on 19th August 2025. The charges stem from critical comments and content he allegedly shared on social media. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

On 3rd September 2025, opposition member Soeung Heang of the Nation Power Party, was placed in pre-trial detention at Phnom Penh’s Correctional Center 1. He was arrested on 30th August and initially questioned by Battambang Police over critical comments he allegedly made on a Facebook post by former opposition parliamentarian Um Sam An regarding the Cambodian-Thai border conflict. On 31st August, he was transferred to Phnom Penh Municipal Police for further questioning and charged with incitement to commit a felony under Articles 494 and 495. Heang faces up to two years in prison if convicted.

On 5th September 2025, Chan Cheat, a Khmer Will Party activist, was arrested and charged with “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defence” under Article 445 of the Criminal Code by the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court. This treason charge carries a prison sentence of 7 to 15 years. Cheat was detained after allegedly taking photos and videos near the Thai-Cambodia border in Chouk Chey village and is currently held in pre-trial detention in Banteay Meanchey prison.

On the same day, two opposition members from different parties in Kampong Speu province - Vorn Lang, second deputy chief of Trapeang Chour commune and district chief from the Candlelight Party, and Hem Hoeurn, district council member and district chief of the Khmer Will Party - were arrested and charged with incitement, a crime punishable by six months to two years in prison. Both were placed in pre-trial detention.

Activist targeted for criticism of government

On 29th October 2025, Cambodian authorities arrested activist Phon Yuth at his home in Takeo province. The Takeo Provincial Court later released a statement confirming that he had been charged with incitement due to several alleged Facebook posts that were critical of the government’s handling of the conflict.

Yuth, who has a physical disability and uses a wheelchair, had been arrested twice before: in 2019 and again in 2024, both times over his social media posts critical of the government. Cambodian prisons are overcrowded and he reported difficulty using the toilet and accessing adequate health care during his 2019 prison sentence.

New law to revoke citizenship for treason passed by the National Assembly

On 25th August 2025, Cambodian lawmakers approved a new law that allows the government to revoke the citizenship of individuals accused of collaborating with foreign powers, acting against national interests, or engaging in activities that threaten the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, or security.

A day before, a coalition of 50 Cambodian CSOs issued a joint statement warning that the law was “vaguely worded to target people on the basis of their ethnicity, political opinions, speech, and activism,” and that the government “should not have the power to arbitrarily decide who is and is not a Cambodian.”

Human Rights Watch said: “The Cambodian government has created a dangerous tool to silence dissent by giving the courts sweeping powers to decide who is and isn’t Cambodian. This law undermines the fundamental right to nationality and risks leaving activists, journalists, opposition politicians, and ordinary citizens stateless.”

Koh Kong land activist sentenced over Facebook post

On 16th July 2025, the Koh Kong Provincial Court sentenced Deth Huor, a community representative from Chi Khor Loeu commune, to one year in prison for defamation and malicious denunciation amid a long-running land dispute with sugar tycoon Heng Huy. Despite the conviction, no arrest warrant has been issued, and Huor remains free.

The charges stem from a Facebook post in which Huor shared a photo of Huy and accused him of encroaching on local land. Huy has filed multiple complaints against protesters who say they are losing land to Huy’s sugar plantation, a conflict that has affected hundreds of families over the past decade.

In addition to the prison sentence, Huor was fined 2 million riel (about $500). She called the verdict unfair and plans to appeal.

Appeal Court upholds conviction of union leader

On 15th July 2025, the Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld the conviction of Chea Chantha, a union leader with the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA) in Svay Rieng province, even though both his lawyers and the prosecutor recommended overturning the lower court’s decision due to insufficient evidence. He had already spent a year in pre-trial detention before the verdict was upheld.

Chantha and IDEA members promoted National Social Security Fund registration among informal workers, supporting the government’s goal to extend benefits and protect workers’ rights in the informal economy.

Chantha was sentenced to 18 months in prison in December 2024, after being charged in July with “fraud” and “causing misunderstanding in the performance of public duties” under Articles 377–378 and 610 of the Criminal Code. The charges stemmed from his distribution of information to informal vendors about registering for the government’s NSSF, which authorities alleged amounted to impersonating a public official.

Around 40 IDEA members and civil society representatives gathered outside the court, calling for all charges against Chantha to be dropped and for his unconditional release. The day before, 52 civil society groups echoed this demand, citing his deteriorating health and his family’s worsening financial situation.

Supreme Court upholds conviction of environmental activist

On 22nd August 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Chhorn Phalla, an outspoken environmental activist who has spent over 10 years protecting natural resources and monitoring deforestation in Ratanakiri province. He was convicted by the Ratanakiri Provincial Court on 7th February 2024 - a verdict that was upheld by the Tbong Khmum Appeal Court on 19th June 2024, and eventually the Supreme Court - to one year in prison and ordered to pay a 10 million riel (around US$2,500) fine on charges of defamation, insult and incitement to commit a felony under Articles 305, 502, and 495 of the Criminal Code. Phalla spent two years in prison between September 2021 and October 2023 in two other cases relating to his activism.

Convictions upheld for Lor Peang community members

On 12th September 2025, the appeal court upheld the convictions of five Lor Peang community members for “intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances” and “intentionally causing damage with aggravating circumstances.”

The case dates back to 10th March 2021, when the Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court convicted seven community members under Articles 218 and 411, sentencing them to three-year suspended prison terms and fines of two million riel (about US$500). The charges stemmed from a July 2014 press conference where company employees allegedly threw stones at community members. The Lor Peang community has been involved in a land dispute after KDC International, owned by Chea Kheng - wife of former Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem - allegedly seized their land.

Expression

Cambodian journalists detained over border conflict reporting

On 31st July 2025, journalists Phorn Sopheap of Battambang Post and Pheap Pheara of TSP 68 TV Online were separately arrested following a reporting trip to Oddar Meanchey, a province near the Thai border. Authorities accused them of “gathering information” and “photographing a prohibited military zone near a battlefield,” alleging that their actions could compromise national defence. They were held in pre-trial detention at Siem Reap prison.

LICADHO stated that it remains unclear which specific social media posts led to the charges. However, one photo shows the two journalists standing with several Cambodian soldiers in front of Ta Kwai Temple, a restricted area, shortly after the 28th July 2025 ceasefire, with landmines visible in the background. Both were charged under Article 445 with "supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defence" - a treason offence that carries a prison sentence of 7 to 15 years.

Media and civil society groups expressed concern over the treason charges against two journalists, calling for their immediate release and urging authorities to provide clear guidance on restricted or prohibited areas for reporting to ensure journalists can report without fear.

In August 2025, the authorities revoked the media licence for Sara NCC Daily a week before they arrested Meas Sara, a journalist who worked for the outlet. He had live-streamed interviews with displaced Cambodian villagers from an area along the Thai border. The authorities charged him with incitement and released him shortly after his arrest, but he remains under judicial supervision as his case proceeds.

Opposition party members convicted for their use of social media

On 10th September 2025, Muth Rin and Kan Kun, two opposition members, were convicted to 18 months in prison and fined 2 million riel (about US$500) on charges of incitement and insult related to their use of social media. A third individual was also convicted of incitement in connection with the same case. All three are elected officials from the Khmer Will Party.

The case arose after they were charged under Articles 494, 495, and 502 of the Criminal Code for incitement to commit a felony and/or insult, stemming from social media discussions critical of the government. They have been held in pre-trial detention at Phnom Penh's Correctional Center 1 since 17th March 2025.

Social activist detained for Facebook posts

Thou Vakhim, a 23-year-old social activist, was arrested on 26th September 2025 in front of the Council of Ministers building while he was returning from the Royal Palace. He faces charges of incitement to commit felony under Articles 494 and 495 of Criminal Code, stemming from opinions he expressed on his Facebook page deemed critical of the government.

He is one of the social youth activists who continue to voice concerns over various human and housing rights issues and has also called for the release of imprisoned social and environmental activists, including Koet Saray. He advocates for environmental issues with the Mother Nature movement, and has sought justice for the murder of social analyst Kem Ley, as well as addressing recent border issues.

Vakhim is currently detained awaiting trial in Pursat prison. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison.

Peaceful Assembly

Boeung Tamok villagers sentenced despite accepting land deal

On 16th July 2025, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced nine Boeung Tamok villagers to one month in prison for violence and obstruction of a public official under Articles 228 and 503 of the Criminal Code. The conviction was due to protests as part of a longstanding land dispute in the Boeung Tamok lake area in Phnom Penh and despite their acceptance of the government's land exchange policy in August 2024. Under the policy, displaced residents are offered relocation land and up to USD 10,000 in compensation, depending on their original land size.

The verdict caused confusion and disappointment in the community. Although found guilty, the villagers were not immediately arrested and were told by the judge to “go home.” The court did not clarify whether the sentence must be served or is suspended, leaving their legal status unclear.

Trial begins for 37 activists detained over CLV-DTA protests

On 3rd September 2025, a rotating group trial began for 37 activists held in pre-trial detention for over a year on incitement charges linked to protests against the now-scrapped Cambodia–Laos–Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) pact.

Srun Srorn, the first to be tried, was arrested in July 2024 after posting a video criticising the CLV-DTA. Denied bail twice, he defended himself for over three hours in Phnom Penh Municipal Court. He is being tried alongside three others — Pheung Sophea, San Sith, and Chak Banmony — in the first of five groups.

All 37 defendants will be tried in weekly sessions. However, the court will not begin the next group’s trial until a verdict is reached in the previous one. The Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR) has raised concerns that this staggered "rotational" approach, trying multiple related cases concurrently rather than individually, could undermine fair trial standards.