Activists Raise Voices Online

Though the Adhoc 5 cannot protest from behind bars, the #FreeThe5KH campaign has tried to keep their voices alive throughout 365 days of detention.

The #FreeThe5KH campaign was born in August when a group of 55 local and international NGOs partnered up and began posting daily infographics counting the days the five workers have been detained.

cam graphic adhoc shallow 1

Mory Sar, co-founder and vice president of the Cambodian Youth Network, said he regularly posts to #FreeThe5KH and about Black Monday to keep his friends talking about the Adhoc 5.

“Social media has become a common platform for activists and people who like to criticize the act of human rights violations and social injustice in Cambodia, because they can express their voices peacefully and have less confrontations with the authorities,” said Mr. Sar, whose NGO is one of #FreeThe5KH’s partners.

Mr. Sar said he mostly only sees people in social justice circles post about #FreeThe5KH, even though his other friends express interest in the campaign in private.

“One of the main reason is they feel afraid of the government’s threats because the Cambodian government tried to accuse or link Black Monday campaigns to a color revolution,” he said.

keetonolsen@cambodiadaily.com

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