PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — It’s tough being a reporter in Cambodia, whose government frowns on independent journalism that questions authority.

Veteran investigative reporter Mech Dara found out the hard way when he was recently jailed on a felony charge for some articles he had posted on Facebook.

Now he plans to be a farmer, he said Tuesday.

In a statement of support last month from Cambodian media organizations and civil society groups, Mech Dara was praised as “a front-line investigative journalist whose stories over the past decade have exposed corruption, environmental destruction and drug trafficking human beings in scam complexes across the country. and consistently pushed for accountability and justice.”

But now out on bail, Mech Dara told The Associated Press he plans to leave the profession and grow vegetables in his hometown in Kandal province, south of the capital Phnom Penh.

When not tending to his crop, he might also sell coconuts or other items, he said.

Mech Dara recalled spending 12 years working as a journalist for the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post, two once-vibrant English-language newspapers forced to close under government pressure, as well as the Voice of radio and website Democracy, which were closed by the government last year. Now 36 years old, he has been working as a freelancer ever since.

“In fact, I was determined to continue working as a journalist for many years to come,” he said, “and overcome whatever obstacles I would encounter.”

But after a few weeks in jail with little prospect of winning in court, they changed their minds. Cambodia’s government has long been accused of using the judiciary to persecute critics and political opponents.

Mech Dara was arrested on September 30 by a group of military police at a tollbooth as he returned with his family to the capital Phnom Penh from a beach holiday. The next day, he was formally charged with inciting a crime or causing social unrest for the articles he posted online in late September. The offense carried a prison sentence of six months to two years, along with a fine.

Mech Dara said his initial, all-night interrogation was tough. He was handcuffed and flanked by two police officers armed with AK-47 assault rifles as he was questioned. And they walked him up and down from the ground floor to the second floor, over and over, repeatedly threatening him.

Things did not improve when he was remanded to Kandal Provincial Jail.

He neither slept nor ate well in the cramped and overcrowded cell where he was held for more than three weeks. He said he saw prisoners slapping and punching each other and passing out and heard of others dying. It made him wonder “whether or not I could see tomorrow and whether the day after that could be me.”

Adding to his concerns were existing health problems, including hepatitis B.

At the same time, he realized that the prospects of making a living as a reporter were shrinking, especially since as a freelance journalist it was difficult to obtain a license from the Ministry of Information.

His situation took a new turn on October 23 when Fresh News, a pro-government media outlet, published a video of him in an orange prison uniform apologizing to Prime Minister Hun Manet and former Prime Minister Hun Sen , who is now president. of the Senate. Hun Manet succeeded his longtime father as prime minister last year, but has so far shown little tolerance for criticism.

In a one-minute clip, Mech Dara said he had posted five instances of false information in the past that was harmful to Cambodia and its leaders, and promised not to post false information in the future.

He was released on bail the next day.

The latest adjustment to his situation came on Monday, when Hun Manet shared two photos of himself and Mech Dara on his Facebook page, one of them hugging and the other of them standing face to face.

Hun Manet said he met Mech Dara and they discussed several topics, such as freedom of expression and the responsibility of journalists to publish true information and adhere to their code of professional ethics.

Mech Dara has not posted anything on his Facebook page since his release.

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Associated Press writer Grant Peck reported from Bangkok.