A publisher at Banan Santepheap News has been sued by Banan district governor Sreng Sokha in Battambang province for public defamation after he reported on social and environmental issues.
Five court summonses were issued on December 2, 2024 by prosecutor Duong Saron, who ordered the journalist to appear in court for questioning on December 18 this year following five Facebook posts and reports between October and November.
Chheang Phalla said he was questioned by the court about the information he published in that period. According to him, his posts and reports served public interest. He urged relevant parties to enforce the press law rather than use the criminal code to punish journalists.
“What we published was not meant to incite, and it did not distort the truth or defame [anyone],” he said, adding that the media played a role in highlighting issues.
Of the posts reviewed by CamboJA, four were posted on his personal account, criticizing the local authorities of corrupt practices in managing state properties, while one was a live video report. The video, published on Banan Santepheap News, was about athlete rowers in Banan district urging the authorities to be transparent about the donations raised through charity.
Posts and reports led to the lawsuit:
On November 2, Phalla posted pictures of a canal where landfilling was done, with a caption that houses were being constructed on a canal which had been filled with sand.
On October 22, the media outlet made a live video about the irregularities in the use of funds to support athlete rowers which was later denied by the district administration which issued a statement, saying it was disinformation.
On October 26, Phalla posted a status, sharing that “pieces of wood removed from a school were sold to a private [individual]”.
On October 30, Phalla posted pictures of a local market with a caption saying that the market was built with state budget but was rented to local vendors at a high price.
On November 1, Phalla posted pictures of an excavator digging the foot of the mountain. In the caption it questioned the Banan district governor if the governor had the right to “sell the mountain”, which is a state property to a private [individual] for his own benefits.