Press Release
The sentencing of a Phnom Penh beauty parlor owner in an online defamation suit February 6 is a troubling development for Internet freedom and freedom of speech in Cambodia. Duong Solida was fined 2 million riel ($500) and ordered to pay $1,250 in compensation in the defamation suit brought by another beauty parlor owner whom she accused on Facebook of stealing her employees. The Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) denounces Ms. Solida’s sentencing as a threat to free speech in Cambodia.
“Ms. Solida’s comments were not defamatory. They were a statement of her opinion, which she, and every Cambodian citizen, has a right to express,” said CCIM Executive Director Pa Ngoun Teang. “This case is highly troubling, because it represents the first crackdown on social media use in Cambodia, where Facebook and other sites are becoming an increasingly popular way for people access independent information and news that is not available on most TV and radio stations, which are subject to strict government controls.”
CCIM calls on the government to curb any efforts to control free speech on the Internet and to pass legislation that will provide explicit protection to its citizens’ rights to free expression both online and off.
For more information, contact:
Mr. Nop vy, CCIM’s Head of Media Department Tel: +855 (0)60 405 999
Email: nopvy@vodhotnews.com
