Government lawyer Ky Tech yesterday reported a team of volunteer attorneys will soon begin providing legal support to professional journalists facing lawsuits in court.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Hun Sen during a meeting with about 6,000 journalists on Koh Pich exhibition centre tasked Mr Tech to do so. Mr Hun Sen said journalists should always maintain professionalism in their work.
Mr Tech held a meeting with Information Minister Khieu Kanharith yesterday to evaluate the work of 67 government lawyers in provinces across the Kingdom.
“We will only provide legal assistance to professional journalists and not Facebook users who only take pictures and videos and call themselves journalists,” Mr Tech said after the meeting. “If someone abuses the journalist code of ethics, we will not support them either.”
Mr Kanharith said when a journalist faces a legal complaint, he or she should request for help from the Information Ministry.
He said: “The ministry will first examine the case before it is sent to the lawyers who together with the ministry will work together to give them legal assistance. Providing them lawyers does not mean journalists can make threats or slander anyone they want.”
He said the ministry will soon hold a conference with the lawyers to disseminate the information to journalists.
- Tags: attorneys, journalists, Ky Tech
