2 Cambodian Journalists Appeal Treason Convictions over Border Clash Photo

Two Cambodian journalists, Phorn Sopheap from Battambang Post TV Online and Pheap Pheara from TSP 68 TV Online, have appealed their treason convictions after being sentenced to 14 years in prison for posting photographs on Facebook related to border clashes with Thailand last year. They were arrested on July 31 while returning from reporting trips, with authorities claiming they photographed a restricted military zone that included land mines, which seemingly contradicted official Cambodian denials of using such weapons. The Siem Reap Provincial Court convicted them in December on charges of 'supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense', while international press freedom organizations have criticized the conviction as an attack on legitimate journalism.