Cambodia Court Convicts Activists Over Alleged Plot Against King

A group of environmental activists has been convicted by a Cambodian court, for plotting against the government and insulting the king.

The 10 activists, from conservation group Mother Nature, were sentenced on Monday to between six and eight years in jail. Human rights NGOs claimed that the trial was intended to “muzzle criticism of government policies”.

The charges relate to Mother Nature’s activism between 2012 and 2021, documenting suspected pollution in the Tonle Sap River, which feeds into the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and is a major fishing hub.

The group also raised issues surrounding the filling-in of lakes in Phnom Penh, illegal logging and the destruction of natural resources across the country.

The additional charges of insulting the king, directed at three of the activists, centre on a leaked internal Zoom meeting regarding political cartooning.

Following the sentencing, police arrested four of the defendants outside the court.

Six others were sentenced in absentia, including Alejandro Gonzales-Davidson, co-founder of Mother Nature. The Spanish national was deported from Cambodia nearly a decade ago.

The imprisonment of these activists has raised concerns about freedom of expression in Cambodia under Prime Minister Hun Manet, who succeeded his father, Hun Sen, last year after his decades-long rule.

Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the trial, calling it an attempt to "muzzle criticism of governmental policies."

This regime is not only disconnected from reality, it has also shown us how inhumane and cruel it can be towards those who dare to stand up for what is right,” Gonzales-Davidson told Reuters.

The government has previously denied the trial was politically motivated, saying it did not prosecute critics, only those who commit crimes.

The struggle over whether to protect or exploit Cambodia's natural resources has been a contentious issue for years, with environmentalists facing threats, arrests, and even fatalities over the past decade.

Three of the activists sentenced on Tuesday had previously been jailed for organizing a peaceful march protesting the filling in of a lake in the capital for real estate development.

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