Tep Asnarith, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, has reiterated the government’s opposition to impunity and claimed that the practices of ethical and professional journalism are widely promoted in the Kingdom.
He shared his comments on November 2, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
Asnarith highlighted that a recent ministry-run survey on the “state of media freedom in Cambodia in 2025” showed an improved space for practicing journalism, with over 86% of the journalists surveyed asserting that they have full freedom to practice their profession safely, without harassment and with an easy environment to gather information from various sources for writing, producing and freely disseminating their news.
“This result shows an improvement of 6.2% compared to the 2024 report, which was 79.8%. In the survey report, 81.4% of journalists rated the state of media freedom in Cambodia as ‘good’,” he said.
He noted that in the last eight years, no journalists have been killed while performing their professional duties. He acknowledged that one man was killed in an ambush, but explained that a thorough investigation had determined that the cause of the shooting was a personal grudge, and not related to his reporting.
He also commented on impunity for crimes against journalists.
“One cannot say that a case involves impunity if the procedures and processes within the judicial framework have not yet concluded. This is under the jurisdiction of the court, which is an independent power in a society that adheres to the rule of law and democracy,” he explained.
He urged all journalists to adhere to ethical principles whenever they collect, produce or disseminate information to ensure accuracy and professionalism.
He also asked journalists to exercise caution, especially when covering sensitive topics such as cases involving crime.
“They should always seek the cooperation of the relevant authorities, as well as provide information to the authorities, to ensure their personal safety, the safety of citizens in the communities where they report, and to maintain an effective role in supporting community development,” he said.
“I would like to reiterate that journalists must not overstep or exceed their roles and must not use information to gain any benefit, as this could lead to ‘complications’ which may expose them to risk,” he added.
