Mech Dara (Khmer: ម៉ិច ដារ៉ា) is a Cambodian journalist.[1] Dara has extensively reported on corruption and human trafficking in . In 2023, he was honored by United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his work covering online scams, named as a 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report Hero.[2] Dara previously worked for Cambodian newspapers The Cambodia Daily and The Phnom Penh Post, both of which were shut down by the government.[3][4][5][6][7] He also reported for Voice of Democracy radio and website, which was shut down by the government in 2023.[3][8][9]
2024 arrest
editDara was arrested on 1 October 2024 in Phnom Penh.[10] He was charged with “incitement to provoke serious social chaos” resulting from social posts in September.[3][11] Dara's arrest was condemned by the US State Department and the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.[12][13] The Committee to Protect Journalists' senior Southeast Asia representative Shawn Crispin denounced the charges.[14] He was released on bail on 24 October after he appeared to have made a public apology to Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father and predecessor Hun Sen.[15] On 5 November, he said that he would quit journalism and work as a farmer instead.[16]
References
edit- ^ "Mech Dara: Award-winning journalist who exposed cyberscams is arrested". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Cambodian journalist Mech Dara arrested on incitement charges". nationthailand. 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ a b c "A Cambodian reporter who exposed scams charged over online posts". AP News. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "End of an Era as the Phnom Penh Post Closes Its Doors". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Cambodia's pioneering post-Khmer Rouge era Phnom Penh Post newspaper will stop print publication". AP News. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Beller, Thomas (2017-09-12). "The Devastating Shutdown of the Cambodia Daily". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Cambodia Daily newspaper closes in government tax row". 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Chen, Heather (2023-02-14). "Voice of Democracy, one of Cambodia's last independent media outlets, has been shut down | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Cambodia's Hun Sen shuts down independent media outlet Voice of Democracy". 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "The Arrest of Mech Dara (Part I): Repression and Retaliation". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Award-winning Cambodian journalist Mech Dara arrested, say rights groups". The Guardian. AFP. 2024-10-01. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "A Cambodian reporter who exposed scams charged over online posts". Washington Post. 2024-10-01. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Mastrangelo, Dominick (2024-10-01). "US calls for release of award-winning Cambodian journalist". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Award-winning journalist Mech Dara arrested for incitement in Cambodia". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Cambodian journalist who exposed cyberscams released on bail". BBC. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ "After his arrest for Facebook posts, a Cambodian reporter says he will become a farmer instead". Associated Press. 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
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