Journalist Ung Thap Reang outside the Battambang Appeal Court on 1 August 2024.

The Battambang Appeal Court this morning upheld the convictions of Ung Thap Reang, a journalist, on charges of public defamation and incitement to commit a felony under Articles 305 and 495 of the Criminal Code.

The Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court sentenced Thap Reang on 25 January 2024, following complaints from a Poipet Referral Hospital and the provincial tax department, which were accused of corruption in online posts from media outlet Khmer Cheayden. The provincial court sentenced Thap Reang to six months' imprisonment, with the entire prison sentence suspended, and ordered him to pay a 2 million riel (around US$500) fine. Today’s Appeal Court’s decision upheld that sentence in its entirety.