Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
A group of 34 newspapers editors and representatives of various newspapers associations issued a 12-point request, among which features the request to the authority to stop using the UNTAC-era criminal code in the sentencing of journalists, and they also asked for several amendments to the information law. The journalists’ demand came after they held a 2-day forum in Sihanoukville on 28 December. The group of newspapers editors asked the government, and in particular, the tribunal, to use the information law instead of the UNTAC-era criminal code whereby journalists could face arrest for expressing their opinion. Representatives of all these journalists said that the use of the UNTAC-era criminal code to sentence journalists means that Cambodia is a country that cannot guarantee the freedom of the press. In 2007, at least 7 journalists faced charges stemming from the use of the UNTAC-era criminal code, and they were accused of writing untrue newspapers articles.
Crimiial defamatin is one of the most widely used tools against not only political figures, journalists but also lawyers and businessmen-particularly foreign in order to quiet your opposition and in many cases cause them to leave the country for fear of arrest.
ReplyDeleteThe fault for drafting such a represive law is with those who drafted the UNTAC Criminal Law-mostly european consultants, but to allow it to continue with out changig it to purely a civil law is the responsibility of the national assembly and the senate. Even the PM has called for it's change some months ago. I hope that the journalists' crying out now will be heard and moved on.