Cambodia arrests journalist known for exposing cyber scams and human trafficking

An award-winning Cambodian freelance journalist known for investigating the cyber scam industry was arrested on Monday on charges of “incitement to disturb social security,” according to a statement from local authorities.

Mech Dara, 36, whose reporting has appeared in several international news outlets, including Al Jazeera, the South China Morning Post and Nikkei Asia, was apprehended by military police who intercepted his car while he was driving with his family to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, local media reported.

According to the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association, Dara's charges relate to a social media post from September that reportedly showed damage caused by a quarry operation to the concrete stairs leading to Ba Phnom, a pagoda and monastery located in Prey Veng province.

On Monday, the Ba Phnom district administration issued a statement criticizing Dara’s post and accusing him of inciting “social disorder” and spreading false information.

Dara has been placed in pre-trial detention at a provincial prison in Kandal, according to the reports. The charges against him fall under Articles 494 and 495 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code, which entail punishment by imprisonment for up to two years and a fine ranging from one million to four million riels (about $250 to $1,000).

The Cambodian human rights group Licadho said that following his detention, Dara reached out to them with a message saying, “I was arrested and sent to military provincial police,” before his phone was allegedly taken away.

Several digital rights groups expressed concerns about Dara’s arrest.

“Journalist Mech Dara’s arrest and detention show just how far Cambodia’s government is willing to go to squelch independent reporting,” stated the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“The charges are a clear attempt to silence a brave journalist whose investigative work has routinely called for accountability in cases of human rights violations,” said Licadho in their statement.

Dara is an internationally recognized journalist acclaimed for his investigative work on the rise of cyber scam compounds. He has reported on the practice of trafficking individuals across Asia into hotels, where they are coerced into executing internet and phone schemes aimed at stealing billions from victims in the U.S. and China.

He was presented with a Hero Award last year by Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his contribution to the U.S. State Department’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report on Cambodia.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned several entities mentioned in the report for alleged abuses related to the treatment of trafficked workers in online scam centers. Among the sanctioned individuals is Cambodian businessman and senator Ly Yong Phat, also known as the “king of Koh Kong.” Dara has documented links between him and Cambodia’s scam compounds.

Repression against journalists and the media is common in Cambodia. In 2017, The Cambodia Daily, where Dara previously worked as a reporter, shut down citing government pressure. In 2023, the Cambodian government also revoked the license of the local outlet Voice of Democracy.

Experts suggest that Dara’s arrest was also politically motivated.

There is NO SCENARIO in which this is not a politically motivated arrest. @MechDara1 has been a leading voice shedding light on state-affiliated criminal industries for years amidst mounting repression.

Concerned govts must call on @Dr_Hunmanet_PM to release him immediately. https://t.co/isWTdjK8H8

— J. Daniel Sims (@jdanielsims) September 30, 2024

“We urge the Cambodian government to immediately drop the charges against Mech Dara, release him from prison, and stop all forms of harassment against media organizations and journalists,” Licadho said.