Cambodian court convicts 2 journalists, including Irish national, of defaming army officers

By Sopheng Cheang (CP)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian court found two journalists, including an Irish national, guilty of defamation Tuesday for publishing an article in which an opposition leader allegedly criticized dozens of high-ranking military officers.

The ruling was the latest in a series of legal judgments this year that human rights groups charge are part of a campaign of intimidation against critics of the government.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sin Visal ordered Cambodian Daily Editor-in-Chief Kevin Doyle and Neou Vannarin, a Cambodian reporter at the same newspaper, to pay a total of 8 million riel ($1,927) in compensation to a group of senior military officers about whom the paper reported.

"The article published in their paper caused confusion among the Cambodian people and damaged the dignity of the military officers," Sin Visal told the court.

Doyle, 41, refused to comment when leaving the court after the ruling.

Last month, the same court convicted outspoken opposition legislator Mu Sochua of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and ordered her to pay 8.5 million riel ($2,000) to the state and another 8 million riel ($1,882) in compensation to Hun Sen.

In July, the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch called on Hun Sen's government to "end its campaign of harassment, threats, and unwarranted legal action aimed at consolidating its rule by silencing the political opposition and peaceful critics."

It said senior Cambodian government leaders and military officials had filed "at least nine politically motivated criminal defamation and disinformation cases against journalists, opposition members of parliament, lawyers, and government critics."

"The Cambodian government is imposing its most serious crackdown on freedom of expression in recent years," the group quoted its Asia director, Brad Adams, saying.

Tuesday's case began after The Cambodia Daily ran a story in April in which opposition lawmaker Ho Vann was cited describing as useless military certificates received by 22 well-connected officers in a yearlong program in Vietnam.

The officers sued Hor Vann for defamation. He insisted the newspaper had misquoted him and said he had repeatedly asked it to run a correction but it failed to do so.

Sin Visal on Tuesday dropped the defamation charges against Hor Vann.