Cambodia - February 2023

On 13 February Prime Minister Hun Sen revoked the operating license of the Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of the country’s last operating independent media outlets. On 9 February VOD had reported Hun Sen's son, Hun Manet, had overreached his authority by signing an aid agreement to support Turkey’s earthquake recovery effort on behalf of the prime minister. After Hun Manet denied the story, VOD updated the article with new information and the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) – the NGO running VOD and registered with the Ministry of Interior – sent a letter to Hun Sen's Cabinet apologizing for any confusion, explaining that VOD only quoted a government spokesperson. PM Hun Sen rejected the apology and issued the order to revoke VOD’s license and encouraged newly unemployed VOD staff to apply for government jobs. The UN has called for reinstatement of VOD.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Radio Free Asia, Deutsche Welle, OHCHR