UPDATE: Dara has been charged with “incitement to disturb social security” over his social media posts from September and has been placed in pre-trial detention at Kandal provincial prison, according to Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesperson Y Rin. The charge falls under Articles 494 and 495 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code.
Note: This article was updated at 6:00 p.m on October 1, 2024, based on information provided by Phnom Penh Municipality Court spokesperson Y Rin.
UPDATE: Mech Dara arrived at Phnom Penh Municipal Court Tuesday afternoon for questioning, according to his legal team.
Award-winning independent journalist Mech Dara, known for his extensive reporting on human trafficking and cyber scam compounds in Cambodia, was arrested Monday afternoon in Koh Kong province under a pending warrant, a senior military police official confirmed.
According to a relative of Dara at the scene, six military police cars intercepted his vehicle at the Srae Ambel toll booth in Koh Kong province while he was driving to Phnom Penh around 4 p.m.
Local rights group Licadho said Dara reached out to them with a message saying, “I was arrested and sent to military province police (sic),” before his phone was presumably taken away.
Eng Hy, a spokesperson for the military police, confirmed that the arrest was conducted under a warrant but did not disclose the reason for the arrest or which military police unit executed it.
Last year, Dara won the U.S. State Department’s human trafficking Hero Award for his coverage of Cambodia’s scam compounds, where an estimated 100,000 people have been forced to work – under threat of violence – as perpetrators of online scams targeting people across the world.
His arrest also comes nearly three weeks after the U.S. imposed sanctions on prominent businessman and senator Ly Yong Phat regarding his suspected involvement in online scam operations and human trafficking. Dara’s reporting included stories for Voice of Democracy, a publication now shuttered after government pressure, linking Phat to scam compounds.
Additionally, on September 29, Dara posted photos to Facebook and X, later deleted from Facebook, that appear to show damage caused by a quarry operation to the concrete stairs leading to Ba Phnom, a pagoda and local tourist attraction in Prey Veng province.
In response, the Ba Phnom district administration issued a statement on Monday criticizing the post, accusing Dara of inciting “social disorder.” That same day, government-aligned outlet Fresh News published an article dismissing Dara’s post as “fake news.”
The Prey Veng Provincial Television Office also posted a video in which Ba Phnom district officials called on the Ministry of Information to take legal action against the journalist, accusing him of disseminating false information. The Ministry of Information, a government spokesperson, and several other government Facebook pages also shared the video.
Hy said that the national police is following post-arrest procedures but could not provide information on where Dara will be sent as he is waiting to “see what authorities decide”.
When asked where Dara is now, he replied: “I do not know yet, I just know he was arrested.”
Hy declined to give any more details, saying he provided all of the information he has.
Mech Sereyroth, Dara’s sister, expressed concern about her brother’s safety, saying that the family could not contact him by phone.
“I want to know where he is now. I want to know why he was arrested. I want to know if he is safe,” she said.
Dara’s current whereabouts remain unknown. CamboJA News reached out to several institutions that may have information about his location, including the Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk provincial police and Prey Sar prison, but has yet to receive a response from the latter or any affirmative answers. Meanwhile, the Koh Kong and Sihanoukville provincial commissioners claim they have not been notified of the arrest.
National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun stated that no one had reported the case to him. Phnom Penh Municipal Police spokesperson Sam Vichheka said he needed to research the case further before commenting.
Prey Veng provincial police chief Chhoeun Bunchhorn and Ba Phnom district police chief Sa Rom said they were unaware of Dara’s arrest.
Nuth Savna, spokesperson for the General Department of Prisons, said that he had not yet received any information regarding whether Dara would be sent to prison.
When asked about Dara’s arrest, Tep Asnarith, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, stated that he had not received any official information about the case but would notify the media once he was briefed.
Nop Vy, Executive Director of Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), urged authorities to release Dara to demonstrate to the international community that Cambodia respects citizens’ fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
He also recognized that Dara has previously worked extensively to inform policymakers and leaders about critical societal issues, including scam compounds and human trafficking.
Phnom Penh municipal court spokespersons Plang Sophal and Y Rin were also unavailable for comment.
