"Rights Monitors, Journalists Threatened Over Taking Photos at Rally", 26 October 2020

A Phnom Penh deputy governor was among authorities who harassed rights monitors and journalists, threatening to confiscate their cameras and phones, at a small opposition rally outside the Chinese Embassy …, with a media advocate calling the authorities’ actions “unacceptable intimidation.”

…, Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesperson Y Rin said the three arrested protesters, Lim San, 57, Ton Nimol, 40, and Yoy Srey Mom, 52, had been charged with incitement to disturb social security and placed in pretrial detention at Prey Sar prison.

…, Phnom Penh deputy governor Mean Chanyada was filmed pressuring a Khmer Times journalist to give up his camera, while an official standing next to the deputy governor took it off the journalist’s neck…

Chak Sopheap, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said district guards had threatened two of its rights monitors as they worked…

In a joint statement, journalists’ association CamboJA and the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, …, said at least six journalists had been “intimidated and threatened” at the rally…

Journalist Gerry Flynn said he was covering the protest for Thmey Thmey …, and was being pushed back from observing the protesters when a walkie-talkie hit him in the face…

Mech Dara, another VOD reporter, said he and several other reporters were repeatedly ordered to stop filming, including a journalist working for Reuters.

… CCIM’s media director, Ith Sothoeuth, said the work of journalists was supposed to be guaranteed under law. “These threats will further pressure and restrict the freedom of journalists in Cambodia.”

Nop Vy, CamboJA’s executive director, said the authorities’ actions were “unacceptable.”…