1

Incitement to commit a felony (art. 494 & 495)

On 26 September 2021, National Defense Minister, Tea Banh, instructed local authorities to take legal action against Youn Chhiv, an online news publisher and journalist of the Koh Kong Hot News website. This came after Youn Chhiv made Facebook posts on 9 and 19 September in which he criticized authorities for evicting residents and destroying crops (including his own) because of a land dispute in the Botum Sakor National Park. Provincial authorities said Youn Chhiv's posts were fake news and disinformation, and aimed to defame the Koh Kong Deputy Governor. On 28 September, Botum Sakor district police chief Sok Phon said that Chhiv had come in for questioning at the police station, where Chhiv ws forced to write an apology letter to the Deputy Governor. On 30 September 2021, the Koh Kong Provincial Court charged and convicted Chhiv for incitement to commit a felony (art. 494 & 495) and sentenced him to one year in prison with a fine of 2 million riel. Chhiv is currently in prison serving his sentence. That same day, the Deputy Governor reportedly also filed a defamation lawsuit against Chhiv.