Cambodian journalist Mech Dara was arrested and jailed for 23 days after sharing a Facebook post containing false information. He endured interrogation and threats, and witnessed difficult conditions in prison.
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He continued, “The cell was cramped and filled with cigarette smoke. Even with a mask, I had no choice but to endure it.” His bail came after his apology made on video to Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father Hun Sen for spreading false information on social media five times and harming the country’s reputation.Speaking to journalists on November 1, Dara, wearing a patterned button up shirt and holding a wallet with a sticker “Free Mech Dara”, thanked all those who called for his release and the dropping of the charges. He planned to retire to sell coconuts on a pulled cart along the street in Phnom Penh.
“When we reached the checkpoint, my cousin was about to pay and suddenly several military police surrounded his car, saying, ‘we found him, arrested him,’ and demanded that I hand over my phone,” he said. During the ride to Phnom Penh, he was given only water to drink. When he was hungry and asked for bread, they refused.When he finally arrived in Phnom Penh at night, they took him to the Phnom Penh Municipal Commissioner, where he asked for bread once more, but they refused again. They kept him in a room and asked for his phone password once more.
“At one point, in another room, I heard a man say, ‘if he does not cooperate, do not answer, slap him a few times,” Dara said.
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