"was being strangled" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
For example, you might use it in a sentence such as, "She screamed as she was being strangled by the assailant."
It was black-hole dense with good gags, and there may be nothing quite so brilliant on British TV this year (see if they don't quote that on the DVD) but, just as if I was being strangled by a superior being (I'm Watson in this scenario to Brooker's Moriarty), I couldn't wait for the experience to end.
My throat felt as if I was being strangled.
Vietnam was a country whose democracy was being strangled in the cradle.
Sometimes, Mr. Santos would hold her so tight that she felt like she was being strangled.
Miles upstream, construction projects had loosed the earth, and the pond was being strangled with siltation.
(Some commentators feared that the economy was being strangled by misplaced fiscal conservatism).India's fiscal nonchalance has deep roots.
The result is that our media are being strangled by stealth.
Americans who live overseas are being strangled by the shrinking dollar.
Like other businesses, they are being strangled by the credit crunch.
Live music venues in Melbourne claim they are being strangled by noise complaints.
"As a result, our media are being strangled by stealth," he said.
