Online reporter assaulted after reporting on wood trafficking

Description

On December 2, 2023, 37-year-old Mr. Im Hach, an online reporter for San Prum News, was arrested and bound with rope by a group of people in Kampong Cham Province.

In the video posted on Facebook, Hach was seen unclothed and laying on the ground as his hands and legs were tied with rope. Hach was then sent to the district police office and provincial court for questioning and released after he agreed to mediation with people who arrested him and tied him up with rope

Before he was arrested, Hach had been on a live video feed on social media talking about wood transportation.

According to Kampong Cham provincial administrative, Hach was arrested by four people in Pana village, Soutib commune, Cheng Prey district, after he entered a private place of business without permission to take pictures of wood.

Hach was reportedly working for CNM TV News, but then moved to San Prum News. However, according to a CNM TV notice, he was fired from CNM a day after the incident. According to provincial administrative, Hach was not registered as a journalist at any outlet yet. Prum San, publisher of the San Prum News told CamboJA that Hach was also fired from the outlet before the incident.
Hach showed CamboJA his press card issued by San Prum News, which expires on Jun 14, 2024. He said he was fired from San Prum after the incident.

Information
Number of attacked persons or entities related to media
1
Do they work as freelance or media?
Yes
Position in media
Status of journalists
Gender
Male
Age
Country
Kampong Cham
Full name or name of group
Identified
The name of perpetrator (individual/group)
Sour Channary, Mang Kimhann, Uon Kim An and Im Phen
Gender
Attack mention about gender background/sexual wording?
No
Date of incident
Type of incident
Physical assaults (include death, injury, abduction)
Please type the data source here (File)
Please type the data source here (text)
Interviewed by CamboJA and video of assault