FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 21, 2018

Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr@rfa.org

Statement of Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia, on Release of Former RFA Khmer Journalists

WASHINGTON – Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia, made the following statement today in response to the release of former RFA Khmer Service journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin on bail in Phnom Penh.

We welcome their release, but we must also recognize that these former journalists should never have been put in this predicament in the first place. Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin have been jailed for more than eight months, living in abhorrent conditions, without their families, without adequate medical care, without an income, and, for too long, without hope. The targeting and intimidation of anyone who has worked as an independent journalist in Cambodia is a clear violation of press freedom. With today’s development, we hope all charges against them are dropped and their case is immediately dismissed.

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Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media.  RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy

mahajanr@rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021