Since beginning his journalism career in 2021, Chheang Phalla has actively reported on issues affecting communities in Banan district, Battambang province—particularly environmental destruction, a topic that has drawn disapproval from local authorities and, increasingly, legal pressure.

Between October and November 2024, Banan district governor Sreng Sokha filed five separate lawsuits against Phalla, accusing him of incitement and defamation. Phalla was first summoned by the court on December 18, 2024, and again on March 10, 2025.  

“It’s because they don’t like me as a journalist,” Phalla told CamboJA. 

In early 2025, Phalla became the subject of another legal action—this time at the provincial level—after he publicly criticized the the legal actions taken against him. On March 12, 2025, at around 3 p.m., he was arbitrarily arrested by Battambang provincial authorities at a coffee shop in Battambang City. 

Two days later, on March 14, the Battambang Provincial Court ordered his pre-trial detention on charges of incitement to disturb social security under Article 495 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code. The case was reportedly based on Facebook posts made between October 2024 and March 10, 2025, in which Phalla frequently questioned the governance practices of local authorities. 

According to CamboJA’s records, incitement charges have been increasingly used against journalists in recent years, particularly in response to critical posts on social media. This pattern reflects a broader and growing trend of suppressing press freedom in Cambodia’s digital space. 

Phalla maintains that his arrest was not directly related to the lawsuits filed by the district governor. Instead, he believes the immediate trigger was a Facebook post published on March 10, in which he criticized the legal measures taken against him. 

After nearly a month in pre-trial detention, the 41-year-old publisher of Banan Santepheap was released on bail on April 10, 2025. He said his release followed an apology he made to the court and a request for intervention submitted to the Ministry of Information. 

However, Phalla said the terms of his release bar him from engaging in any journalistic activities. He is now calling for the charges to be dropped so he can resume reporting. 

“The court has banned me from practicing journalism while I’m under supervision,” he said. “That’s why I’m urging the court to drop the charges, so I can return to my work as a journalist.” 

Initially, Phalla received legal assistance from a local rights group through the referral process of CamboJA. He was provided a lawyer for one of the cases filed by the district governor. However, he noted that support from civil society organizations (CSOs) has become increasingly limited due to cuts in U.S. funding for independent media, CSOs, and human rights defenders. 

“The lawyer told me that because of the funding cuts, it’s difficult for them [lawyer] to travel to the provinces,” he said. “So I decided to seek legal assistance from the Ministry of Information and requested intervention from the Minister.” 

Posts and reports led to the lawsuits:     

• On November 1, 2024, Phalla posted pictures of an excavator digging the foot of the mountain. In the caption it questioned the Banan district governor if the government had the right to “sell the mountain”, which is a state property to a private individual for his own benefits.  

• On November 2, 2024, 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, 2024, 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, 2024, Phalla posted a status, sharing that “pieces of wood removed from a school were sold to a private individual.” 

• On October 30, 2024, 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 March 10, 2025, Phalla posted a status criticizing the legal actions taken against him. The post was later removed.”