Cambodian journalist Luot Sophal is serving a two-year prison sentence for demoralizing the armed forces and incitement to commit a felony, anti-state charges the government has used to suppress critical reporting during a border conflict with neighboring Thailand.
On February 13, 2026, police in Samraong, the capital of Oddar Meanchey province, arrested Sophal after he published a video report on his personal Facebook page about an alleged water shortage faced by frontline Cambodian soldiers and included a photograph of government leaders, according to a report by news site Kiripost and local rights groups.
While in pre-trial detention, authorities ordered Sophal to delete the post and apologize in a video, the sources said.
On July 14, 2026, the Oddar Meanchey Provincial Court convicted and sentenced Sophal to two years in prison under Articles 472, 494 and 495 of the penal code, according to ADHOC, a local rights group that represented him in court and corresponded with CPJ by email. He is being held at Oddar Meanchey prison and plans to appeal, ADHOC told CPJ.
Journalists covering Cambodia’s border dispute with Thailand, including episodic armed hostilities, have faced threats and reprisals, with at least two other journalists convicted and imprisoned on treason charges for their conflict-related reportage.
The Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.