Mech Dara, the award-winning Cambodian journalist recently imprisoned by authorities on incitement charges, plans to request bail on account of health-related conditions, according to his lawyer.
Reim Bora, Dara’s defense attorney, said that his detention has led to health issues, including insomnia and anxiety.
Bora plans to submit a formal bail request to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court next week at Dara’s request, who also cited the need to care for his elderly mother.
Dara, acclaimed for his reporting on human trafficking and the cyber scam crisis, was arrested on September 30 for incitement charges related to social media posts he made earlier in the month. He has since been held in pre-trial detention at Kandal Provincial Prison.
Local civil society groups believe Dara was targeted by authorities due to his past reporting on human trafficking networks and cyber scam compounds in Cambodia (which have been linked to politically connected tycoons). Some of Dara’s reporting tied prominent businessman and senator Ly Yong Phat to a scam compound. Phat was recently sanctioned by the U.S. government, a move the ruling Cambodian People’s Party called “baseless and unfair.”
In the nearly two weeks since Dara was jailed, international outcry and demand for his release have gained momentum.
Most recently, the U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller voiced concern over Dara’s arrest and encouraged Cambodian authorities to “engage with diverse voices & foster a free, independent press.” However, Miller stopped short of calling for his immediate release.
Dara’s former colleagues and fellow journalists have also shared anecdotes and photos from reporting trips with the internationally respected journalist as part of the viral #freemechdara campaign on social media.
CamboJA executive director Nop Vy, who visited Dara in prison, called on the court to consider dropping the charges.
“I still beg the court to consider the [incitement] charges and free him because what he posted – to me –does not seriously affect public order and social security,” he said.
In response to the outcry from international institutions and civil society, the Cambodian government spokesperson, Pen Bona, denounced claims that the government’s choice to imprison Dara was unjust, adding that Cambodian institutions maintain legal integrity.
“Therefore, we do not need to respond to those allegations,” said Bona.
When asked how the Ministry of Information is responding to calls for Dara’s release from local and international institutions, spokesperson Tep Asnarith said he “had not yet received any information or confirmation from the relevant authorities.”
