Cambodia - June 2024

Ten activists from the environmental protest group Mother Nature were convicted under Article 453 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code for “plotting against the state.” Rights watchdogs say the group was targeted for its effective environmental activism over the past decade, as it had successfully stopped environmentally damaging infrastructure projects and exposed corruption in the natural resources sector. Those convicted face six to eight years in prison, although the whereabouts of four Cambodian members are unknown and a fifth Spanish member was deported in 2015 and has already been barred from re-entering the country. The five activists who were not tried in absentia were taken into custody following the hearing. Observers say the trial marks a step backwards in the ability of Cambodian civil society to monitor the natural resource sector and take part in consequential environmental decisions.

Sources: Associated Press, Human Rights Watch, LICADHO, Phnom Penh Post