Vietnam and drug use. The charges against him The case was filed by a tycoon with whom her included defamation, incitement and insulting the king, community has been embroiled since 2007 for her handed down by the Banteay Meanchey provincial social media post criticising him for encroaching on court. Although he was released on bail after being her community’s land. However, no arrest warrant held for ten days, Saran still faces imprisonment, was issued against her by the court, allowing her with human rights activists calling for a careful to remain free.53 review of his case.50 In August 2023, ten Koh Kong land activists were In January 2021, an indigenous environmental activist arrested on charges of slanderous denunciation and was accused of defamation and fined KHR 40 million incitement to disrupt social security. The ten convicted ($10,000) for posting on Facebook that the governor activists include Chhan Chheurn, Det Huor, Erb Vy, of O’Raing–a district located in the central lowlands Erp Teung, Heng Chey, Inn Thou, Kert Nov, Kong Men, of the Mekong River–was involved in encroaching Puo Houn and Sok Chey. All were sentenced to one 300 hectares of land in the area. In September of year in prison and ordered to collectively pay KHR the same year, Ratha, Kunthea, and Keoreaksmey 40 million (around $9,600). Det Huor, Heng Chey were arrested for their social media posts. The posts and Sok Chey were already being held in Koh Kong referred to plans by Kunthea, a 22-year-old chemistry Provincial Prison on separate charges relating to student and teacher, to march to the Prime Minister’s social media posts.54 In September 2023, Ny Nak, a residence to raise awareness of the environmental Cambodian critic, was attacked along with his wife impacts of the Boeng Tamok lake development. The by individuals armed with batons during masked three individuals were charged with direct incitement assaults, an unfortunately relatively frequent practice to commit a crime or to disrupt social security, under that mainly targets members of the opposition. He Articles 494 and 495 of the Penal Code. was subsequently arrested on defamation charges 51 52 On July 20, 2022, Deth Huor, a community representative of Kampong Speu’s Chi Khor Leu commune, was convicted of malicious denunciation and defamation and sentenced to one year imprisonment. brought by a government minister in connection with Facebook posts criticising the Ministry of Agriculture. Nak had previously served an 18-month prison sentence for publicly criticising the government over its Covid-19 restrictions.55 It has been clearly shown that freedom of expression is backsliding in an extreme way that has impacted the rights of citizens who dare to speak the truth in Cambodia.56 –Thon Ratha, Mother Nature Cambodia activist 48 Dawn of Digital Dictatorship: Weaponizing the Law Against Online Speech in Southeast Asia