Cambodian journalist Mech Dara arrested for inciting hatred

Investigative journalist Mech Dara was arrested by military police on September 30, 2024. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged Mech with “inciting to disrupt social security” and ordered his pre-trial detention at Kandal Provincial Prison October 1, 2024.

Authorities in Prey Veng province issued a statement accusing Mech of causing social unrest by posting information about a rock quarry on social media. A day before his arrest, Mech shared two images of an active quarry on a revered mountain in the southeastern province of Ba Phnom in Prey Veng, which is also home to a Buddhist pagoda.

Mech Dara was recognized in 2023 by the US State Department for its reporting on human trafficking and online scams in Cambodia. He has worked for the Cambodia Daily, the Phnom Penh Post and Voice of Democracy radio, all of which were forced to close due to government pressure, according to The Independent.

“Every newsroom I work in is being silenced,” Mech told the BBC after then-Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered Voice of Democracy closed.

Mech is a member of Journalists Against Corruption (JAC), which on October 1, 2024, issued a statement expressing concern over his arrest and called for his immediate release.
Several communities, media organizations and civil society groups also urged Cambodian authorities to drop the charges and immediately release the journalist.