Cambodian journalist who exposed illegal logging slapped with incitement charge

[ad_1] An environmental journalist who had reported on logging in a wildlife sanctuary has been charged with incitement and defamation, within the newest signal of deteriorating press freedom in Cambodia, a human rights group stated Tuesday.

The journalist, Ouk Mao, 49, was arrested at his house within the northeastern province of Stung Treng final Friday by plainclothes officers who didn't produce a warrant.

Ouk Mao’s spouse Ek Socheat instructed environmental information outlet Mongabay that three plainclothes officers entered his house, handcuffed him and instructed him that “their boss wished to talk to Mao a few piece of land,” earlier than taking him to Stung Treng Provincial Gendarmerie Headquarters.

The Strung Treng Provincial Courtroom then charged Ouk Mao with incitement to commit assault and public defamation, in keeping with Yin Mengly from the human rights group Adhoc which is monitoring the case. He described the fees as extreme and unjustified. Ouk Mao faces between six months and two years in jail on the incitement cost.

“The whole lot he (Ouk Mao) stated was backed by proof of forest destruction. So, as an alternative of concentrating on him, they need to cooperate with him,” Yin Mengly instructed RFA Khmer.

Ek Socheat instructed RFA that she had gone to the court docket however has not seen her husband since Friday. She condemned her husband’s arrest as unjust and stated she now has to care for his or her seven kids alone.

Treating reporters as criminals Worldwide press rights teams joined in condemning the arrest.

“Ouk Mao’s seizure and detention, with none clarification, is simply the newest assault in Cambodia on journalists who report on environmental points and crimes,” Shawn Crispin, senior Southeast Asia consultant for the Committee to Defend Journalists, stated in a press release.

“Cambodia ought to cease treating environmental reporters as criminals,” he stated.

Ouk Mao has lengthy campaigned and reported on deforestation, together with on the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary which straddles 4 provinces together with Stung Treng. He has accused Stung Treng provincial officers of taking bribes from unlawful timber merchants. He studies for Intriplus Information and can also be a member of a small opposition political occasion, For Cambodia.

The Committee to Defend Journalists stated that on March 24, 4 males tried to pressure Ouk Mao to delete video footage and images he took of them whereas documenting unlawful logging in Prey Lang, a confrontation he posted on Intriplus Information’ Fb web page. Police refused to take motion in opposition to the assailants, and Ouk Mao refused calls for he take the video down, the CPJ assertion stated.

The Ministry of Atmosphere in Stung Treng issued a press release criticizing an interview that Ouk Mao gave with RFA Khmer about his allegations in opposition to the native officers. It demanded he subject a correction and write a public letter of apology inside 48 hours or face authorized motion.

The Stung Treng provincial court docket is ready to listen to one other case involving Ouk Mao on Might 28 the place he’s accused of clearing and encroaching on forest land, and burning it to say possession. In one other case he's accused of violent land encroachment.

In whole, there are 15 complaints filed in opposition to Ouk Mao. The plaintiffs embrace officers from the Stung Treng Provincial Division of Atmosphere and different businesses.

Nop Vy, president of the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Affiliation, also referred to as CamboJA, stated the court docket’s response quantities to intimidation and obstruction of journalistic work.

“I consider the fees in opposition to Ouk Mao are unfair. What he did was not for private acquire however for the collective advantage of pure useful resource safety. So, these accusations are actually unjust to him,” he instructed RFA.

His case will not be uncommon within the shrinking area for impartial journalists and environmentalists in Cambodia.

In December, veteran reporter Chhoeung Chheng was fatally shot in Siem Reap province as he traveled by motorcycle towards the Boeung Per Wildlife Sanctuary.

In January, British environmental journalist Gerald Flynn realized he was blacklisted by Cambodia. Flynn has reported extensively about deforestation in Prey Lang, unlawful fishing and the failure of a worldwide carbon credit score program.