The Cambodian government has ordered the closure of the Voice of Democracy (VOD) news agency, one of the last independent media outlets in the Southeast Asian country, after it published an article that «damaged» the reputation of the Executive.
According to information reported by the BBC, the government, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, has refused to accept the apology of the media group and cancelled its license on Monday.
Editors and employees of the news agency have confirmed to the British broadcaster that Cambodian police officers have arrived at VOD’s headquarters in the capital, Nom Pen. Some media outlets have also removed publications signed by VOD.
«People are shocked and are still trying to process this (…). It has been a very accelerated period of time from the time the article was published to the suspension of the license,» recounted deputy editor Ananth Baliga.
The information alluded to by Cambodian authorities is one published last week in which VOD claimed that Hun Manet, one of Prime Minister Hun’s sons, had reportedly signed a grant package of up to $100,000 — more than 93,500 euros — for Turkey.
Although Hun Manet is commander-in-chief of the Cambodian Army, Cambodian law stipulates that foreign aid packages can only be signed by the head of government. For the Prime Minister, this information has only damaged the reputation of the Executive, which is why he has ordered the withdrawal of VOD’s license.
Observers of democratic conditions in Cambodia had until now considered VOD as one of the few independent media outlets in the country, which between 2017 and 2018 experienced a harsh crackdown on civil expression. The closure of the news agency comes just months before elections, scheduled for July.
In fact, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has reacted to show his concern at the latest developments. «I am alarmed that the license of the independent media outlet VOD has been revoked today,» he said.
«I am concerned that this decision appears arbitrary, as it was not preceded by a thorough and transparent process as required by Cambodia’s own press law,» Turk said in a brief statement in which he also denounced that Hun Sen’s decision «does not meet the tests of legality, necessity and proportionality» required by international standards for a permissible restriction on freedom of expression.
Turk has therefore called on the Cambodian government to reverse what he considers to be a «disturbing» decision and to guarantee the civil and political rights of «all» Cambodian citizens, while working to facilitate «an enabling environment for civil society, including independent media».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
