On August 15, 2024 , the Appeal Court in Battambang upheld the conviction against Banteay Meanchey journalist Ung Thap Reang on charges of public defamation and incitement to commit a felony under Article 305 and 495 of the Criminal Code.
The Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court sentenced Thap Reang on January 25 this year following complaints made by the Poipet Referral Hospital and provincial tax department.
He had written an article alleging the entities of corrupt practices, which appeared in the online media, Khmer Cheayden.
The provincial court sentenced Thap Reang to six months' imprisonment but the jail term was suspended. However, he was ordered to pay a two million riel fine (approximately $500).
Thap Reang told CamboJA on August 16 that he was not present at the appeal hearing. He was represented by his lawyer who was provided by local rights group Licadho. Thap Reang plans to file an appeal to the Supreme Court.
He maintains his innocence of the allegation, saying that his article was based on his journalism ethics.
“Actually, I did not commit any crime according to the charge. I worked based on my profession and ethics as a journalist,” he said, adding that the alleged offense in the profession should be punished by press law.
“But the judiciary lacks proper judgment on the matter [...] Like me, as a journalist, they accused me under the wrong principle [law]. They didn’t apply the press law.”
In 2023, he was placed in pretrial detention for three months.