Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Battambang: The Battambang Appeal Court on March 26 upheld the verdict by Siem Reap Provincial Court of two journalists, Phon Sopheap and Pheap Pheara, who were sentenced to 14 years in prison on December 17, 2025.
Judge Y Kheang said the defendants are allowed to file an appeal to the Supreme Court within a month in accordance with the law.
The journalists, who are serving time in Siem Reap provincial prison, were not brought to court to hear the verdict. No reason was given. Their wives, relatives and lawyer were also not present.
The appellate court decision follows appeals filed by Sopheap and Pheara on December 22 and 23, 2025, respectively, after their conviction by the lower court under Article 445 of the Criminal Code for “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defence.” They are said to have committed the offence in Oddar Meanchey province and on Facebook from July 25 to July 31, 2025.
Their lawyer Un Chanthol said he would file a petition to the Supreme Court to challenge the Appeal Court’s decision.
“We have already raised the arguments, so the next step is to proceed to the Supreme Court in accordance with legal procedures,” he said. “We will consult with their families whether to proceed. If they agree, we will follow the legal process as soon as possible.”
During the appellate court hearing on March 13, Chanthol requested their charge be amended from Article 445 to Article 479 of the Criminal Code as it concerns intentional or unintentional revealing of national defence secrets which he said was “more appropriate” to their case.
Article 479 stipulates the disclosure of national defence secrets due to carelessness, negligence, recklessness or disobedience of orders, and could result in six months to two years jail and a fine of one million to four million riel if found guilty.
Both journalists denied committing the offence they were charged with. They were arrested separately on July 31, 2025, after returning from reporting in Oddar Meanchey.
While it is unclear what led to their criminal charge, both journalists had taken a picture with Cambodian soldiers in front of Ta Krabey Temple after a ceasefire was declared following the Thailand-Cambodia conflict in July. Later, Thai media outlets published these images, claiming they showed unexploded landmines in the background.
Sopheap’s wife, Hong Tha, said she was dumbfounded after learning about the verdict, adding that she would ask the lawyer to file an appeal to the Supreme Court so her husband could be released to reunite with his family.
“I was working when I heard the news. I lost my appetite,” she said.
In Kongchet, Battambang provincial coordinator for rights group Licadho, who attended the hearing, said the ruling imposed a heavy sentence on the journalists.
“They do not appear to have committed the offense which they have been charged with. The court should drop the charge and restore their freedom,” he said.
Nop Vy, executive director of Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), said the 14-year sentence was excessive and harsh, suggesting the court did not adequately consider their case.
“From what I observed during the hearing, the two journalists appear to have no intention of serving a foreign state or revealing military secrets,” Vy shared.
Instead, he said, it seemed they were providing general information to the public as the location of the temple is under Cambodian military control, which was reflecting a sense of nationalism.
“For me, this 14-year sentence is unacceptable and severe. It may intimidate [journalists] reporting on border issues.”
On the same day, Battambang Court of Appeal also held a closed-door hearing in the case of HVNN Poipet-based publisher-cum-journalist Hem Vanna who sought bail after the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court denied his request.
Only Vanna and his lawyer, Sek Sophorn, were allowed to attend while his wife, relatives and representatives from NGOs, including Licadho and Adhoc, waited outside.
After the hearing, Sophorn told reporters that he argued for Vanna to be freed under the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, contending that the lower court’s denial of bail was unlawful.
Presiding judge Srey Mak Ny postponed the verdict till April 2, 2026.
Vanna’s wife, Sem Sreypov, said the family has faced serious financial hardship since his detention. Their 15-year-old child dropped out of school in grade 11 to work and help support the family. The couple have four children.
She added that Vanna is the sole breadwinner and is responsible for household expenses and debt repayment. He also suffers from high blood pressure and requires regular medication.
“I work at a factory in Poipet, and my children stay with their grandmother. Without my husband, it is very difficult,” she lamented.
Vanna was placed in pretrial detention on February 4, 2026, on charges of “incitement to commit a felony” and “recording private conversations”. He was detained after he published a report on four to five foreigners who were assaulted by a group believed to be workers inside a closed compound behind a military police base in Poipet.
