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Showing posts with label Hang Chakra sentence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hang Chakra sentence. Show all posts
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Cambodian editor to serve time for disinformation
August 14, 2009
ABC Radio Australia
ABC Radio Australia
Cambodia's free press was dealt another blow this week, with the Phnom Penh Appeal Court upholding a criminal conviction of a newspaper editor who ran stories on corruption at high levels of government. Hang Chakra looks set to spend a year in jail on charges of disinformation after publishing articles earlier this year which alleged widespread corruption by officials working for Cambodia's deputy Prime Minister, Sok An.
Human Rights Watch and local NGOs say the verdict is the latest in a series of legal attacks against critics of the government, and will increase the control of the ruling Cambodian People's Party's over the media.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speaker: Kathleen O'Keefe, co-founder of the Phnom Penh Post; Moeun Chhean Nariddh, the director of the Cambodian Institute for Media Studies
NARIDDH: Chakra is the editor-in-chief of Khmer Machas Srok newspaper which is one of the opposition party aligned newspapers. He was in charged with damaging the national interest as well as affirming the Minister for the Council of Ministers.
COCHRANE: And Kathleen, if I can cross to you, Hang Chakra worked for the newspaper, Khmer Machas Srok which is considered to be loyal to the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. How important do you think politics were in this case?
O'KEEFE: It's very difficult to say exactly what all the motivating factors were. What we are seeing is that the judiciary is increasingly being used to attack anybody who expresses dissenting opinion. It's really part of a larger attack or larger crackdown on free expression, which has been intensifying since 2005.
COCHRANE: And what affect has this had on the media environment in Cambodia?
O'KEEFE: I think it has had a major impact, particularly in the wake of last year's assassination on a journalist and his son just before the elections, it sent a resounding message to the entire press corp, that they should think very, very carefully before writing anything. I think the Chakra case, it's very important, because it notes regression of freedom of expression. This is the first time in many, many years that a journalist has not only been imprisoned, but he's [been] tried and convicted on criminal charges.
Like last year's assassination, this is another major step backwards for Cambodia's media.
Until recently, we were moving away from killing journalists in the streets and putting them in jail and the problems of the media were more intimidation. I mean they were not any less serious, but they were less violent. So what we are doing is returning to the violence and the imprisonment of media.
COCHRANE: And Kathleen, you have been involved for many years in training journalists. Will this make your work more difficult in trying to encourage reporters to be brave, to be bold, and report truth to power?
O'KEEFE: The good journalists will always need encouragement. They need encouragement from everybody and a wider group of people need to recognise how important free media is to the other important objectives in Cambodia - to build a strong judiciary, to build a strong sense of governance. The media is plagued by corruption and political interference and those are the root causes that media training has never addresses.
COCHRANE: Nariddh can I cross over to you. What's the feeling amongst Cambodian journalists after the assassination that Kathleen mentioned last year just before the election and now the upholding of this conviction against the editor of an opposition newspaper? What's the feeling amongst Cambodian journalists at the moment?
NARIDDH: I think among the Cambodian journalists, they seem to have exercise censorship by refraining from reporting on controversial or sensitive issues related to corruption, land grabbing or injustice committed by rich businessmen or high-ranking officials. So even the usually outspoken opposition newspapers have now tried to keep a low profile.
Human Rights Watch and local NGOs say the verdict is the latest in a series of legal attacks against critics of the government, and will increase the control of the ruling Cambodian People's Party's over the media.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speaker: Kathleen O'Keefe, co-founder of the Phnom Penh Post; Moeun Chhean Nariddh, the director of the Cambodian Institute for Media Studies
NARIDDH: Chakra is the editor-in-chief of Khmer Machas Srok newspaper which is one of the opposition party aligned newspapers. He was in charged with damaging the national interest as well as affirming the Minister for the Council of Ministers.
COCHRANE: And Kathleen, if I can cross to you, Hang Chakra worked for the newspaper, Khmer Machas Srok which is considered to be loyal to the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. How important do you think politics were in this case?
O'KEEFE: It's very difficult to say exactly what all the motivating factors were. What we are seeing is that the judiciary is increasingly being used to attack anybody who expresses dissenting opinion. It's really part of a larger attack or larger crackdown on free expression, which has been intensifying since 2005.
COCHRANE: And what affect has this had on the media environment in Cambodia?
O'KEEFE: I think it has had a major impact, particularly in the wake of last year's assassination on a journalist and his son just before the elections, it sent a resounding message to the entire press corp, that they should think very, very carefully before writing anything. I think the Chakra case, it's very important, because it notes regression of freedom of expression. This is the first time in many, many years that a journalist has not only been imprisoned, but he's [been] tried and convicted on criminal charges.
Like last year's assassination, this is another major step backwards for Cambodia's media.
Until recently, we were moving away from killing journalists in the streets and putting them in jail and the problems of the media were more intimidation. I mean they were not any less serious, but they were less violent. So what we are doing is returning to the violence and the imprisonment of media.
COCHRANE: And Kathleen, you have been involved for many years in training journalists. Will this make your work more difficult in trying to encourage reporters to be brave, to be bold, and report truth to power?
O'KEEFE: The good journalists will always need encouragement. They need encouragement from everybody and a wider group of people need to recognise how important free media is to the other important objectives in Cambodia - to build a strong judiciary, to build a strong sense of governance. The media is plagued by corruption and political interference and those are the root causes that media training has never addresses.
COCHRANE: Nariddh can I cross over to you. What's the feeling amongst Cambodian journalists after the assassination that Kathleen mentioned last year just before the election and now the upholding of this conviction against the editor of an opposition newspaper? What's the feeling amongst Cambodian journalists at the moment?
NARIDDH: I think among the Cambodian journalists, they seem to have exercise censorship by refraining from reporting on controversial or sensitive issues related to corruption, land grabbing or injustice committed by rich businessmen or high-ranking officials. So even the usually outspoken opposition newspapers have now tried to keep a low profile.
Conviction 'blow to Cambodia media freedom'
Hang Chakra (Photo: Sok Serey, RFA)Friday, August 14, 2009
Liam Cochrane
ABC Radio Australia
The conviction of a newspaper editor in Cambodia this week over articles inquiring into government corruption will increase the control of the ruling Cambodian People's Party's over the media, observers say.
The Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld a criminal conviction on editor Hang Chakra.
Chakra looks set to spend a year in jail on charges of disinformation after publishing articles earlier this year alleging widespread corruption by officials working for Cambodia's deputy Prime Minister, Sok An.
Rights group Human Rights Watch and non-government agencies say the verdict is the latest in a series of legal attacks against critics of the government.
Defamation charge
Moeun Chhean Narridh, director of the Cambodian Institute for Media Studies, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia Chakra is the editor-in-chief of Khmer Majest Throp newspaper, an opposition-aligned publication.
"He was charged with damaging the national interest, as well as defaming the Council of Ministers."
Kathleen O'Keefe, co-founder of the Phnom Penh Post and a media trainer, said: "What we are seeing is that the judiciary is increasingly being used to attack anybody who expresses dissenting opinion.
"It's really part of a larger attack or larger crackdown on free expression, which has been intensifying since 2005."
Ms O'Keefe believes the conviction will have a major impact on the media, "particularly in the wake of last year's assassination of a journalist in Phnom Prenh just before the elections, (which) sent a resounding message to the entire press corps that they should think very, very carefully before writing anything."
In July last year, journalist Khim Sambor - a contributor to another paper alligned to the opposition Sam Rainsy party - was riding on a scooter with his 21-year-old son when two men on a motorcycle shot him dead and fatally wounded the son.
Important
Ms O'Keefe said: "I think the Chakra case, it's very important, because it notes regression of freedom of expression. This is the first time in many, many years that a journalist has not only been imprisoned, but he's tried and convicted on criminal charges.
"Until recently, we were moving away from killing journalists in the streets and putting them in jail."
Continuing critical comments about the media were more intimidation "but they were less violent. So what we are doing is returning to the violence and the imprisonment of media".
Narridh said the present environment confirmed to Cambodian journalists that they "have to exercise censorship by refraining from reporting on controversial or sensitive issues related to corruption, land grabbing or injustice committed by rich businessmen or high-ranking officials.
"So even the usually outspoken opposition newspapers have now tried to keep a low profile," the media studies head said.
The Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld a criminal conviction on editor Hang Chakra.
Chakra looks set to spend a year in jail on charges of disinformation after publishing articles earlier this year alleging widespread corruption by officials working for Cambodia's deputy Prime Minister, Sok An.
Rights group Human Rights Watch and non-government agencies say the verdict is the latest in a series of legal attacks against critics of the government.
Defamation charge
Moeun Chhean Narridh, director of the Cambodian Institute for Media Studies, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia Chakra is the editor-in-chief of Khmer Majest Throp newspaper, an opposition-aligned publication.
"He was charged with damaging the national interest, as well as defaming the Council of Ministers."
Kathleen O'Keefe, co-founder of the Phnom Penh Post and a media trainer, said: "What we are seeing is that the judiciary is increasingly being used to attack anybody who expresses dissenting opinion.
"It's really part of a larger attack or larger crackdown on free expression, which has been intensifying since 2005."
Ms O'Keefe believes the conviction will have a major impact on the media, "particularly in the wake of last year's assassination of a journalist in Phnom Prenh just before the elections, (which) sent a resounding message to the entire press corps that they should think very, very carefully before writing anything."
In July last year, journalist Khim Sambor - a contributor to another paper alligned to the opposition Sam Rainsy party - was riding on a scooter with his 21-year-old son when two men on a motorcycle shot him dead and fatally wounded the son.
Important
Ms O'Keefe said: "I think the Chakra case, it's very important, because it notes regression of freedom of expression. This is the first time in many, many years that a journalist has not only been imprisoned, but he's tried and convicted on criminal charges.
"Until recently, we were moving away from killing journalists in the streets and putting them in jail."
Continuing critical comments about the media were more intimidation "but they were less violent. So what we are doing is returning to the violence and the imprisonment of media".
Narridh said the present environment confirmed to Cambodian journalists that they "have to exercise censorship by refraining from reporting on controversial or sensitive issues related to corruption, land grabbing or injustice committed by rich businessmen or high-ranking officials.
"So even the usually outspoken opposition newspapers have now tried to keep a low profile," the media studies head said.
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