Cambodia revokes journalist’s licence over police harassment video of Vietnamese suspect
Cambodia revokes a journalist’s licence for filming police harassing a female suspect, triggering outrage in Vietnam.
Phnom Penh — Cambodian authorities have revoked the press credentials of a journalist.
He filmed police officers behaving inappropriately toward a female Vietnamese suspect. The footage sparked sharp criticism from Vietnamese media and online communities.
Critics accuse Phnom Penh of prioritizing censorship over accountability. The case involves alleged sexual harassment.
The controversy began after a video clip went viral. It showed Cambodian police officers laughing while touching the face and cheek of a female detainee.
In response to the leak, Cambodia’s Ministry of Information cancelled the journalist’s accreditation. They also issued a directive urging the public to stop sharing the footage.
Prominent Vietnamese social media communities, including Du Lịch Thái Lan, have accused the Cambodian government of focusing its enforcement on the whistleblower rather than the officers involved. They argue this response sidesteps the core issue of professional misconduct by law enforcement.
Vietnamese outlet tinnews_tongbac reported that the officer who touched the woman’s face has been given a lifetime suspension.
However, the narrative on social media remains centred on press suppression and the treatment of the detainee.
Vietnamese netizens have expressed anger, insisting that regardless of the suspect’s legal status, she is still a human being entitled to protection from sexual harassment and degrading treatment under international human rights standards.
The woman in the video is not a minor offender. She faces serious charges linked to a major security breach. Authorities accuse her of smuggling firearms to six male prisoners during a transfer at a court facility.
The alleged security lapse allowed the prisoners to open fire on guards. This occurred during a violent escape attempt. Police eventually contained the situation and arrested all suspects. This includes the woman who is now at the centre of the harassment storm.
The incident has put the Cambodian government under scrutiny on two fronts: the security failure that enabled an attempted prison break, and the public relations crisis over the treatment of a foreign female suspect.
Footage of officers making physical contact with an unarmed, restrained detainee has been widely condemned. Vietnamese commentators and rights advocates view it as a violation of human dignity.
Observers are now watching to see whether the Vietnamese government will raise the issue through diplomatic channels. This could potentially turn a social media firestorm into a formal bilateral dispute.
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