Cambodia’s Leader Shuts Independent News Outlet Ahead of Election

Voice of Democracy is now run by the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, and the shutdown involved the revocation of the center’s media license.

That action came after Mr. Hun Sen and his son took issue with a Feb. 9 VOD article, which included a comment from a government representative indicating that General Manet had signed an agreement providing financial assistance to Turkey following the Feb. 6 earthquake there.

Such an action apparently exceeded General Manet’s mandate, and Mr. Hun Sen said a letter from the Center for Independent Media was inadequate because it did not include the word “apology.” He then rejected a subsequent appeal that did use the word, saying the government “has to maintain its dignity.”

Seth Mydans reports for the New York Times: Under direction of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia has ordered the shutdown of the Voice of Democracy, one of the last independent news outlets in the country. Human rights organizations domestic and abroad have condemned the closure, suggesting it signals a severe threat to the remaining independent journalists and media groups in Cambodia.