Getty ImagesMech Dara, an award-winning Cambodian journalist who has reported extensively on human trafficking and corruption, was arrested and charged with incitement.
A court spokesman said Dara, who reported for the BBC, had been charged with five social media posts that could “incite social unrest”. He faces up to two years in prison.
Last year, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken honored him for his work exposing online fraud operations based in Cambodia.
Human rights groups have spoken out about his arrest, with Human Rights Watch calling on the country’s government to “release him immediately”.
Dara was arrested after being stopped at a highway toll booth on the border of Koh Kong and Sihanouk provinces in southwestern Cambodia on Monday.
A relative traveling in the same car as Dara told the BBC that they were waiting to go through the counter when a military police car along with five other cars pulled up next to them.
“We got him,” one person said as they detained Dara, his relative said, adding that Dara told his family not to worry as he was taken away.
Local human rights group Licadho reported that Dara texted them, explaining that he had been arrested before his phone was taken away.
His whereabouts were unknown for nearly 24 hours, when he appeared in court in the capital Phnom Penh and was charged with inciting to commit a felony. He was remanded in pre-trial detention and faces between six months and two years in prison if convicted.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Y Rin told the BBC that the charges related to five social media posts made in September, but did not elaborate.
The vague accusation of incitement is often used in Cambodia against government critics.
One of Dara’s relatives, who is also a journalist but requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said Dara was denied access to a lawyer and they were “very concerned” about his safety.
“The authorities did not show us the official arrest warrant or court documents. I lost hope, I am very concerned about practicing journalism in Cambodia today,” the relative said.
One of Cambodia’s most prominent journalists, Mech Dara has been at the forefront of investigating cyber fraud rings in the country, most of which are staffed by trafficked workers.
Victims are often lured by advertisements promising easy jobs and lavish perks. When they arrived in the country, they were detained and forced to work in online fraud centers. Those who do not comply will face threats to their safety. Many people were tortured and treated inhumanely.
Last year, Mr. Blinken presented Dara with the U.S. Department of State’s Anti-Human Trafficking Hero Award for your work
The US State Department said it was aware of reports of his arrest and was “closely monitoring developments with deep concern”.
Last month, the United States sanctioned powerful Cambodian tycoon and ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat, who is known as the “king of Koh Kong” after his influence over his home province, for being accused of being involved in the hidden camera industry.
The Cambodian government said the sanctions were politically motivated.
Human rights groups have voiced concerns about Mech Dara’s arrest.
Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said “Mech Dara is a respected journalist who has reported on important topics in the public interest, such as online fraud center. However, Cambodian authorities appear to have wrongly arrested him yesterday.
“They should release him immediately.”
Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates (AHRLA), called Dara’s arrest “outrageous and unacceptable” and “symbolic of the Cambodian government’s repression, over the top response to any criticism from the media”.
Cambodia’s independent media scene has been hit hard in recent years, with publications including Cambodia Daily and Democratic Voice – both of which Dara worked for – being shut down by authorities.
