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BREAKING NEWS: Mech Dara released on bail!

October 24, 2024

By Krysta Bisnauth, Freedom United

We’ve got exciting news that’s just come in: Mech Dara has been released on bail today!

We’re thrilled to announce that Dara has left the cramped prison cell he was forced to stay in for more than three weeks.

Our community sent thousands of messages directly to the Cambodian authorities calling for Dara’s release and we have been heard!

He is thankful for the incredible support he received from people like us, sharing:

“I thank all relevant institutions and colleagues and others who helped me so that I have freedom and stay out of jail provisionally.”[1]

Despite this good news, we still have work to do. Although Dara is out of jail for now, his freedom remains at risk as he still faces charges.[2]

Yesterday, a government-friendly site released a video of Dara in a prison uniform, apologizing for his social media posts and asking for forgiveness. Forced to retract his words, Dara still faces dangerous, vague charges of “incitement” over five social media posts and potentially faces up to 2 years in prison.

“There’s absolutely no way that the international attention that is now on scam activity and the human trafficking related to it would be on the same level if it wasn’t for Dara.” — Nathan Paul Southern, Eye Witness Project [3]

This isn’t just about one journalist. Dara was at the forefront of exposing industrial-scale scam operations where workers are trafficked and forced into schemes that defraud victims worldwide. His arrest sends a chilling message to anyone working to shed light on these crimes.

We know we can count on you to remain vigilant and continue to speak out. Together, we can keep the pressure on to ensure the charges against Dara are dropped for good.

We’ll keep you updated on the next steps. For now, thank you for standing with us—and with Dara—during this critical moment.