Cambodian Supreme Court to Rule on Treason Appeal for Journalists Jailed Over Border Photos

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s Supreme Court is expected to rule Thursday on the appeal of two journalists who were convicted of treason for publishing photographs related to border clashes with Thailand last year.

The decision arrives amid intensifying scrutiny regarding the independence of the nation’s highest court. Phorn Sopheap of Battambang Post TV Online and Pheap Pheara of TSP 68 TV Online were arrested last July. Authorities allege the pair posted images taken within a restricted military zone to Facebook.

The journalists have denied all charges, asserting they had authorization to be in the area. They are now seeking to have the Supreme Court overturn their convictions and the resulting 14-year prison sentences.

At the center of the case is an image of land mines that was widely circulated by Thai media. This image bolstered Thailand’s claims that Cambodia had deployed new mines along the border, which reportedly wounded Thai patrolling soldiers. Cambodia officially denied these claims, stating it adhered to international bans on land mines and suggested the explosives were remnants from conflicts that ended in the late 1990s.

The border hostilities in July and December displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and resulted in approximately 100 deaths. While a December ceasefire has prevented new fighting, tensions remain high.

In December of last year, the Siem Reap Provincial Court sentenced both men to 14 years in prison for “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense.” Following a lower court’s decision to uphold the verdict in March, over a dozen national and international journalism associations sent a joint letter urging the government to drop the case.

This hearing follows a recent ruling by the same court upholding the incitement conviction of Rong Chhun, a prominent opposition politician. This case has further highlighted concerns over the government’s systematic efforts to suppress dissent. The 56-year-old was convicted of inciting unrest after meeting with villagers displaced by state construction projects—a move widely viewed as part of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s campaign to silence critics.

Human Rights Watch stated that the ruling illustrates a distinct “lack of independence from the ruling party” within the Cambodian judicial system, though the government maintains that the Supreme Court remains fully autonomous.

Under the nearly four-decade rule of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia faced widespread international criticism for human rights violations and the suppression of free speech. While he was succeeded by his son, Hun Manet, in August 2023, there have been few indicators of political liberalization.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) accused the Cambodian government of utilizing vague national security legislation to criminalize legitimate journalism in the cases of Pheara and Sopheap. According to the 2025 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, Cambodia ranks 161st out of 180 countries, categorizing its press freedom situation as “very serious.”

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