On 26-28 February 2011, 40 journalists participated in this training in Siem Reap province with four professional guest speakers. After this workshop, a joint statement was issued to the government by the training participants regarding Cambodia’s New Criminal Code and the pressures it puts on journalist with regards to Freedom of Expression.
Eight media institutions broadcast the joint statement as part of their news. This project also featured seven 30-minute radio documentary reports on cases of violations of freedom of expression in Cambodia. The reports were produced by CCIM and aired through Sarika FM, as were thirty 50-minute weekly radio shows. During these radio shows, a combined 171 callers joined the discussions, with an additional 139 missed calls. The Secretariat of State from the Ministry of Interior, H.E. Nuth Sa An, participated in the talk show program discussing the proposed law on NGOs and associations. A total of 25 guest speakers including representatives of NGOs working on freedom of expression, members of media institutions and legal experts have participated in the talk shows.
The training was organized under the project funded by Freedom House to empower journalists and other media members to voice their concerns and to cover sensitive issues such as violations of freedom of expression. It also urged government officials to respond to the concerns raised by these actions and to be accountable to the public.
