In a heart-wrenching echo of Cambodia’s tragic past, Uon Chhin recalls the day his father was taken away by the Khmer Rouge, told to stand tall and speak the truth, regardless of the personal cost. Fast forward decades, Uon Chhin became a journalist during a period marked by vibrant investigative reporting in Cambodia. However, recent years have brought a storm of oppression as Prime Minister Hun Sen has obliterated the remnants of a free press, and recent U.S. policies have furthered this decline.

In 2017, Uon Chhin and a colleague from Radio Free Asia were arrested and charged with espionage, spending months behind bars. Their imprisonment was an ominous sign of the tightening grip of authoritarianism under Hun Sen, who has transformed what was once a burgeoning democracy into a strongman regime. The recent cuts to American foreign aid and President Trump’s executive order to dismantle crucial projects like Radio Free Asia and Voice of America have extinguished the last flickers of free speech in this Southeast Asian nation.

This dramatic shift comes as the U.S. cancels thirty projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development that supported civil society and independent journalism. Cambodia, which once stood as a model for democracy-building after the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, is now facing an existential crisis for its free expression.

With Hun Sen initiating a nominal power transfer to his son, Hun Manet, the dynasty’s grip has not loosened. The young leader, who graduated from West Point, has continued his father’s autocratic policies, ensuring that the power remains firmly within the family’s control. Independent media outlets have all but been silenced, with remaining voices, such as Radio Free Asia, operating from abroad. Those who dared to vocalize their dissent face imprisonment or exile.

Bay Fang, President of Radio Free Asia, highlights the dire consequences of potential closures, stating, “If we close down, the ruling party gets to completely control the narrative.” Indeed, Hun Sen has celebrated the possible demise of independent reporting, further fortifying his regime's narrative.

Despite striving to maintain journalistic integrity, Uon Chhin now works with CamboJA, a collective formed by displaced journalists, struggling with a budget that is rapidly diminishing due to the withdrawal of American aid. He lamented, “It’s like Cambodia and America have traded places.”

Meanwhile, state-sanctioned media outlets, such as Fresh News, thrive by avoiding criticism of the Hun government and are even mandated to be used by officials over foreign messaging platforms. Lim Cheavutha, the founder of Fresh News, remarked, “Cambodia has complete freedom, more than some countries in the region,” a blatant contradiction to the reality faced by many Cambodians.

As Western nations like the U.S. step back from supporting independent media, China has eagerly stepped in with investments and resources, claiming to ignore Western concerns about human rights. Journalist Heng Sreylin shared her experience on a luxurious trip to China funded by her outlet, reflecting a growing trend of Cambodian journalists opting for safer, non-political stories to avoid confrontation with the government.

The chilling reality is that speaking out against the regime in Cambodia is increasingly dangerous. Voices like Ith Sothoeuth, who has lost American funding for his news startup, face an uncertain future amidst a crackdown on media that he fears could land him in prison. Yet his determination is unwavering: "If you go with the flow, you are a dead fish. If you fight the current, it means you are alive."

As global attention shifts, the plight of Cambodia serves as a dire warning of what happens when liberty is sacrificed for autocratic control, amplified by foreign powers. The push for free speech has never been more urgent, and the world must not turn a blind eye to the descent of Cambodia into darkness.