A wave of detentions, arrests and imprisonments in 2024 affected political activists, unionists, students, environmentalists, human rights defenders and everyday Cambodians. Authorities relentlessly silenced people who criticised official policies, advocated for the environment and human rights, and expressed their views.
Though not a complete record of detentions, LICADHO’s Prisoners of Interest page documented a total of 102 people arrested and imprisoned this year. 45 have since been released while 57 remain behind bars awaiting trial or serving sentences.
Aside from a spike in arrests, provincial courts and prosecutors also started levelling Article 88 of the Criminal Code against activists. The article allows a person who is charged with a misdemeanour to have their prison sentence doubled if they have been convicted for the same misdemeanour within the last five years. The year also saw a spike in activists being coerced to make public apologies in return for release. These often involve signing a document and being filmed admitting fault, agreeing to certain conditions, or at times implicating others, which are then published by local pro-government media.
In numbers:
Ny Nak Again Arrested and Convicted for Social Media Post
The year started off with the arrest of Ny Nak, a social commentator who is featured as part of LICADHO’s Repeat Defenders list for being a human rights defender who has been jailed twice. Nak was first arrested and charged with incitement and public insult in 2020 when he joked that he would place his chicken coup into lock-down, in a veiled reference to a speech given by then-Prime Minister Hun Sen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After serving an 18-month prison sentence, Nak returned to social media with pointed commentary on social issues, including a post on the government’s campaign to hand away state land to well-connected individuals and state institutions. He spoke about land given to a “Heng Sour” in Kampot province and identified the person as the current minister of labour. The government and Sour denied the minister was the recipient of the land, and Sour sued Nak, resulting in charges of incitement and defamation. Nak was handed a two-year prison sentence, as well as fines and compensation totaling 203 million riel (about $50,750), by the Phnom Penh Capital Court in November.
Nak exemplifies Cambodians who believe in their right to free expression and continue to speak out despite the repercussions.
Union Leader Convicted for Theft; Later Released on Appeal
Chea Chan, a local union leader and member of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU), was arrested in February shortly after he won a union vote at Wing Star Shoes factory. Chan was then convicted in June of being an accomplice to theft, for an incident that allegedly happened two years before, and sentenced to one-year in prison with six months suspended. It was not until August that the Appeal Court eventually dropped the charges and Chan was released.
Chan reported receiving threats warning him against forming a union at the factory prior to the union vote. Unionists and workers alleged that Chan’s six-month detention was meant to pressure union members to dissolve the factory’s independent union. The union called the charges against Chan “judicial abuse’’ and a restriction of freedom of association.
Political Activist With Disability Rearrested, Court Hearing Repeatedly Delayed
Phon Yuth was first imprisoned for five months in 2019 for Facebook posts critical of the government and calling for then-Prime Minister Hun Sen's resignation. After his release, the activist remained active in opposition politics, continuing to voice his views. He was rearrested in March 2024, shortly after a Facebook Live broadcast. New incitement charges were levelled after he criticised Prime Minister Hun Manet and challenged the government's claims on issues such as employment and foreign affairs. Yuth, who uses a wheelchair, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November and remains detained in Takeo provincial prison.
The 40-year-old was held without trial for more than seven months. His wife told Radio Free Asia in September that the provincial court repeatedly extended his detention while delaying scheduled court hearings. According to Article 209 of Cambodia's Code of Criminal Procedure, pretrial detention for misdemeanors cannot exceed four months for adults and can only be extended once for an additional two months with a "clear and well-motivated warrant."
Youth Leader’s Sentence Doubled under Article 88
Koet Saray, the president of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA) and a former Buddhist monk, has been arrested and convicted twice. His most recent conviction involved the use of Article 88 to double the length of his prison sentence.
In 2020, Saray was detained alongside other activists for participating in peaceful protests demanding the release of union leader Rong Chhun. Saray was convicted and served 14 months in prison prior to his release. In 2021, Cambodian authorities forcibly defrocked Saray from his position as a Buddhist monk, and the Supreme Court upheld his incitement conviction in 2023.
This year, the youth leader was arrested again for comments he made about a violent eviction in Preah Vihear province related to an Economic Land Concession (ELC) granted to Seladamex. He was convicted on charges of incitement to commit a felony and “committing a misdemeanour after sentencing for a misdemeanour” under Articles 88, 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code, which allowed the maximum sentence Saray was facing for incitement to be doubled. As a result, Saray was handed a four-year prison sentence.
Environmental Journalist Again Convicted For Deforestation Reporting
Soeu Sochea was arrested for the second time over his coverage of illegal logging in Kampong Thom province. The journalist has worked for media outlets such as EPN News, TNM News and ASEAN Daily, and was first arrested last year on extortion charges following complaints from two timber traders.
This year, he was convicted of incitement to discriminate for his Facebook and Telegram posts highlighting deforestation in Prey Lang forest. His arrest was prompted by a complaint from the director of the provincial department of environment. Sochea was sentenced to one year in prison, with six and a half months suspended. He was released in November after his letter and video of apology to the government and Kampong Thom provincial governor was shown in court. The journalist is one of many people arrested this year who were released from prison after a public apology.
Land Rights Defenders Blocked from Marching to Submit Petition
In June, around 60 community members from Kratie province, representing 1,318 families from Sambor district, traveled to Phnom Penh to petition authorities to halt the clearing of their farmland and crops by a private company. The dispute stems from an ELC granted in 2009 to Kamadhenu Ventures (Cambodia), now being cleared by Kasekam Youveakchun Svay Rieng Co. Ltd.
Upon arriving in Phnom Penh, the representatives were initially denied shelter at a pagoda and later questioned by local authorities who requested documentation. The following day, the community members were prevented by authorities from marching on foot and instead delivered their petitions by tuk-tuk to the Ministry of Interior, the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, and the Land Management Ministry. The petition highlighted their financial struggles, as many had taken loans for farming costs and faced mounting debts due to the land clearing.
A week later, 12 Koh Kong land activists were convicted of incitement by the Koh Kong Provincial Court for attempting to travel to Phnom Penh in 2023 to submit a petition to the Ministry of Justice, seeking a resolution to their decade-long land disputes. The disputes involve sugar concessions granted to companies tied to tycoons Ly Yong Phat and Heng Huy, which have overlapped with community land. While the court handed all 12 defendants suspended six-month prison sentences, the activists have faced ongoing harassment and multiple charges for their efforts to protect their communities’ land rights, highlighting the continued legal and systemic challenges faced by land rights defenders in Cambodia.
Mother Nature Environmental Activist Serving 6-Year Sentence
Phuon Keoraksmey is one of ten Mother Nature environmental activists who were convicted in July. Five of them, including Keoraksmey, were immediately arrested and remain in detention, serving sentences of six to eight years on charges of plotting and, for some, insulting the King. Their peaceful advocacy has focused on issues such as sand mining in Koh Kong province, protecting Koh Kong Krao island, and addressing water pollution in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
Keoraksmey’s activism has come at a personal cost. In September 2020, Keoraksmey was first arrested when she was just 19-years-old, alongside fellow activists Long Kunthea and Thun Ratha, for planning a one-woman march to the Prime Minister's residence to discuss the filling of Phnom Penh’s Boeung Tamok Lake. After being convicted of incitement and serving more than a year in detention, the three were released in November 2021.
Undeterred, Keoraksmey resumed her activism upon release. She has participated in campaigns, including to protect Koh Kong Krao island from development and a special economic zone linked to a company owned by powerful tycoon Ly Yong Phat.
Youth NGO Staff Imprisoned in Wave of CLV-DTA Arrests
Sak Kanika is among more than 100 people who were initially arrested and 60 who were later charged for activities such as allegedly posting on social media, planning assemblies, or expressing opinions about the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA)— a 20-year-old trade and cooperation agreement from which Cambodia has since withdrawn. Kanika has been charged with plotting and faces a potential sentence of 5 to 10 years. Her request for bail was denied earlier this month.
At 33 years old, the Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP) NGO staffer is committed to social work, which she began in 2013 when she volunteered with Youth for Social Progress. A passionate advocate for youth empowerment, Kanika strives to inspire young people to understand their rights, embrace their roles as active citizens and help others in their communities do the same.
Award-Winning Journalist Imprisoned Following Scam Compound Investigations
Mech Dara has earned recognition for his extensive reporting on human rights abuses, corruption, human trafficking, and torture, including within online scam compounds in Cambodia. On 30 September, Dara was arrested by officers from the Royal Gendarmerie while vacationing with his family in Preah Sihanouk province for allegedly posting false information on social media. Dara was brought before Phnom Penh’s court the following day, charged with incitement, and sent to pretrial detention in Kandal provincial prison.
Dara’s work has been published in local and international outlets, and he received the Trafficking in Persons Report Hero Award from the US State Department last year. His arrest was denounced by both national and international organisations and institutions, with many advocating for his release and press freedom in Cambodia.
After nearly a month in detention, Dara was granted bail, but the charges against him have not been dropped. A video surfaced on pro-government media in which he apologised for the social media posts that led to his incitement charge.
Joint Statement on Cambodia’s Escalating Repression Against Human Rights Organisation and Advocates
In October, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) released a statement highlighting the Cambodian government’s intensified repression of critical voices, specifically targeting prominent human rights organisations such as the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) and Equitable Cambodia (EC). This crackdown reflects an alarming trend of retaliation against civil society actors advocating for human rights in the country.
CENTRAL has been subjected to a national security audit following a report suggesting areas of improvement in the Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) project, a joint initiative by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) aimed at improving labour conditions in Cambodian factories. The audit, accompanied by legal harassment and other forms of pressure, has been widely condemned by civil society, international organisations, and the European Parliament. Similarly, EC Executive Director Eang Vuthy faces unfounded criminal charges stemming from his advocacy on behalf of communities adversely affected by development projects, including those supported by the World Bank. These reprisals are aimed at silencing efforts to safeguard human and labour rights.
Political Activists with Refugee Status Deported to Cambodia from Thailand
November added another chapter to the trend of Cambodians with UN refugee status in Thailand being deported to Cambodia to face criminal charges. Six political activists and an accompanying child were deported by Thai authorities to Cambodia, where they each face plotting charges that carry prison sentences of 5 to 10 years. The Cambodian government has not clarified the reason for the request for deportation and consequent charges, but it is likely linked to controversy about the CLV-DTA agreement, which resulted in dozens of arrests in July and August. The child was placed in the care of relatives in Cambodia, while the six activists remain in prison.
One of the six, Soeng Kunthea, is a former supporter of the now-dissolved opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). In 2013, after receiving death threats and an attempt to burn down her house by unknown assailants, she fled to Thailand with her five children. She and her 24-year-old daughter, Vorn Chanrachana, were arrested by Thai authorities and deported to Cambodia in November. Kunthea is currently in pre-trial detention at Kandal Prison, while her daughter is being held at Phnom Penh’s Correctional Centre 2 (CC2).