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Working with judicial actors: protect and promote freedom of expression and safety of Cambodian journalists
The judiciary plays an essential role in the protection of freedom of expression, freedom of press and access to information. It can, in particular, ensure the safety of journalists, in terms of prevention, protection against, and prosecution of crimes and attacks against journalists.
Within the framework of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, since 2023, UNESCO, in close collaboration with the Business and Human Rights Law Group in Cambodia, has been engaging law enforcement and judicial actors, including lawyers, prosecutors, judges, clerks and trainee judges/prosecutors/lawyers, and media and civil society organizations, to promote and protect freedom of expression, access to information and the safety of journalists through various capacity building and dialogue initiatives.
As part of the collaborative efforts, a Journalists Safety Toolbox for Educators: A Guide for Dialogues on Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Press and Access to Information, was developed in English and Khmer as an Open Resource, with an extensive list of presentation slides, videos, further readings and guided questions for group discussions, to enhance the understanding and capacity of all concerned law enforcement and judicial actors and trainees to protect and promote freedom of expression and the safety of journalists, in line with international standards and good practices. Specific modules include Freedom of Expression – Offline and Online, Role of Journalists in a Democratic Society, Role of law enforcement actors in protecting safety of journalists, Role of judicial actors in protecting safety of journalists.
The Toolbox was piloted during two workshops organized in March 2024 which gathered a total of 72 stakeholders from the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Justice, Kandal provincial court and prosecution office, Phnom Penh Appeal Court and General Prosecution Office attached to Appeal Court, Cambodian Human Rights Committee, Royal Academy for Justice, General Commissariat of National Police, Bar Association of Cambodia and journalists, journalists associations and human rights organizations. Through these capacity building and discussion platforms, there has seen an increased level of knowledge and mutual understanding among lawyers, judges, and prosecutors on the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, and the vital role of lawyers, prosecutors, and judges in protecting these fundamental rights to freedom of expression and press freedom, through prevention, investigation, protection, prosecution and non-violence and non-use of excessive lethal force, among others, in accordance with domestic and international law. An informal network of lawyers was also created to empower lawyers to regularly share information, experiences and challenges, and opportunities in their role in protecting the safety of journalists, including through legal aid support.
This initiative is part of the project, Building Back Better Through Participation, supported by Australia, to strengthen civic space and protect and promote freedom of expression and safety of journalists within the framework of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. UNESCO will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to further expand the capacity building initiatives to more judicial actors and young law students promoting the safety of journalists.
Globally, 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ enhanced the capacities of judicial actors on international and regional standards on freedom of expression, access to information and the safety of journalists in over 160 countries around the world. Over 36,000 judicial actors, including judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, have been trained on these issues, notably through a , on-the-ground training and workshops for Supreme Court judges, and the publications of a number of and .
