Cambodia’s highest court has confirmed the 14-year prison sentences handed down to two journalists who were convicted of leaking military secrets during the nation’s border conflict with Thailand, according to their legal team.
The two reporters — Phorn Sopheap, age 39, and Pheap Pheara, age 41 — were both employed by a local news organization called TSP 68 TV Online.
A provincial court in Siem Reap sentenced the pair last December after finding them guilty of “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defence” under Article 445 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code.
Both journalists were arrested separately on July 31, 2025, after returning from a reporting assignment in Oddar Meanchey province, a region that borders Thailand and saw some of the fighting during the conflict. Authorities alleged that their coverage revealed the locations and tactical strategies of Cambodian military forces.
Before reaching the Supreme Court, their case was reviewed by the Battambang Appeal Court in March, which also upheld the original sentences. Thursday’s Supreme Court decision is now considered final — the only remaining avenue for the journalists is a pardon from the king.
The case is part of a broader pattern of concern about press freedom in Cambodia. The country has faced significant international criticism over its treatment of journalists, activists, and environmental advocates. Among those detained was an award-winning reporter who had been investigating corruption and illegal scam operations within the country.
The U.S.-based watchdog organization Freedom House recently downgraded Cambodia’s press freedom rating, citing the fact that “virtually all independent media outlets in the country have closed.”
