Cambodia charges journalist who exposed trafficking and scam compounds with incitement

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stands with Mech Dara in Washington on June 15, 2023. An award-winning Cambodian journalist known for his reporting on human trafficking in the cyber scam industry, Dara has been arrested in Cambodia, police said on Tuesday. | AFP-JIJI

by POPPY MCPHERSON
Oct over 2, 2024

A Cambodian court on Tuesday charged an investigative reporter known for exposing corruption and human trafficking, and whose arrest drew concern from rights groups and the U.S. government, with "inciting social unrest", meaning he may face two years in prison.

In a statement, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in the country’s capital said Mech Dara, who has worked for local and international media, had posted "provocative" and "false" messages and pictures about a rock quarry on a sacred mountain.

He was sent to pretrial detention in Kandal province, according to a joint statement by civil society organizations working in the country, who said the charges carry a maximum prison sentence of two years.