human rights defender

Ny Nak

HRD's year of birth

1979

HRD's Gender

Man

Type of HRD

  • Whistle blower

HRD's thematic area of engagement

  • Civil and political rights

HRD's geographical origin

Urban

HRD's bio and work

Ny Nak was born in September 1979 in Pon commune, Sangke district, Battambang Province. He is an outspoken commentator on social media mainly Facebook, he manages one of his pages named ''Iman-KH'' in which he actively shares his activities and techniques on doing agriculture, and often expresses his opinions on social media on related social issues when he sees injustice. On December 17, 2023, Mr. Ny Nak posted on his Facebook account to express his opinion on the land concession case involving Mr. Heng Sour. He mistakenly believed that the recipient of the land concession was Mr. Heng Sour, the Minister of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT). In his post, he questioned, “What achievements has Heng Sour done for the Khmer nation, that the government gave him forest land as his personal property? RIP Khmer forests.” This post was related to a previous one he made on December 12, 2023, both addressing the land concession issue. Mr. Ny Nak continued to discuss the land concession on his media platform even after Mr. Katta Orn, the spokesperson for the MLVT, clarified to local media that the Heng Sour who received the land concession was not the Minister of the MLVT. Mr. Katta Orn had made this clarification before Mr. Ny Nak’s second post on December 17, 2023. He also requested that media outlets correct any incorrect coverage of the issue, emphasizing that the Heng Sour in question was a different individual with the same name as the Minister of MLVT

Current Status

Released

Detained since

Jan 6, 2024

Date of release

Jan 5, 2026

Charge(s)

  • Defamation
  • Other

Sentence

Two years’ imprisonment and a fine of three million riels on charges of “defamation” and “incitement to discrimination” under Articles 305, 494, and 496 of the Cambodian Criminal Code.

Geolocation of detention

Country or area of detention

Region of detention

  • Asia: South-eastern Asia

Location of detention - City/Town

Tboung Kmum

Location of detention - Facility

Correctional Center 3 in Tboung Kmum province

Recent case update / evolution

Mr. Ny Nak was sentenced in November 2024 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of three million riels on charges of “defamation” and “incitement to discrimination” under Articles 305, 494, and 496 of the Cambodian Criminal Code. The Court also ordered him to pay 200 million riels (approximately USD 50,000) in compensation to the civil plaintiff. The charges stemmed from a post on his Facebook page, Iman-Kh, in which he criticized a land concession granted to an individual named Heng Sour, whom Mr. Ny Nak believed to be the Minister of Labour and Vocational Training. The conviction was upheld by the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal on 27 May 2025, and was upheld by Supreme Court on 30 December 2025. Mr. Ny Nak was released on 5 January 2026, after completed his two-year prison sentence.

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