Five jailed activists from the environmental group Mother Nature Cambodia appeared at the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking provisional release nearly a year after they were sentenced to six to eight years in prison for plotting against the government and insulting the king – charges widely condemned by rights groups and foreign diplomats. 

The activists were previously denied release pending appeal in February.

Long Kunthea, Ly Chandaravuth, Phuon Keoreaksmey, Thon Ratha and Yim Leanghy are five of 10 former Mother Nature members convicted in the case and now seeking release, citing health problems and urgent family needs.

“I’m asking for provisional release because of my difficult family situation,” Yim Leanghy told the court on April 23. “My father is elderly and chronically ill, and I recently learned my mother has stage 3 cancer. At the same time, I’m in poor health and the prison is overcrowded.”

Leanghy, who is serving the group’s longest sentence at eight years, also cited his family’s financial struggles and argued he is not a flight risk.

Thon Ratha also pointed to his deteriorating health and the recent birth of his child last month as part of his request for release pending appeal.

“I have three kids now, and all the responsibility falls on my wife. So I urge the court to pity me and my children,” he told the judges. “I always follow the rules and never harm society. I’ll follow whatever conditions the court sets – just please let me out on bail.”

Sam Chamroeun, one of the defense attorneys for all five imprisoned environmentalists, argued that the previous decision by the Court of Appeal to deny their release lacked solid evidence and legal grounding. 

The Supreme Court did not issue an immediate decision on the provisional release requests. Judges said a ruling will be announced next week on April 30.

The five appellants are currently imprisoned in different provincial prisons across the country, a move seen as unnecessarily punitive, especially for their families.

Ratha’s wife, Pat Reaksmey, said she is skeptical but hopeful that the new appeal will be granted.

“I just hope the government and high-ranking officials reconsider and release them so they can return to protect the environment,” Reaksmey said. “I also hope the court delivers justice and sets him free to be with his family.” She added that giving birth without her husband, who is imprisoned nearly 200 kilometers from their home in Kandal province, has been a hardship, especially as she now has to care for three children on her own.

Am Sam Ath, operations director of the local rights group Licadho, who denounced the environmentalists’ imprisonment, noted that lower courts had initially granted them bail before trial. “So it shows that their release on bail is not problematic and does not cause any issues,” he said.

He called for continued support for the jailed Mother Nature Cambodia activists, saying their case fits into a broader pattern of crackdowns on environmental defenders.

In the months following the group’s sentencing, three more environmentalists were arrested, a Cambodian journalist reporting on deforestation was killed, and a British investigative journalist known for covering environmental crime in Cambodia was blacklisted and banned from the country.

Less than a year before their imprisonment, Mother Nature Cambodia members received the Right Livelihood Award for their “fearless and engaging activism” to protect Cambodia’s environment. The Swedish foundation behind the prize condemned their arrest and sentencing.

Though deregistered by the Interior Ministry in 2017, Mother Nature has continued operating inside Cambodia.