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The United Nations Special Rapporteur called for the release of five Mother Nature Cambodia activists who are serving six to eight years in jail for plotting and insulting the King, noting that the Appeal Court should schedule a date for their appeal soon.
The environmental activists—Thon Ratha, Phuon Keoreaksmey, Long Kunthea, Ly Chandaravuth, and Yim Leanghy—were arrested in July 2024 when they launched a campaign to protect the environment and natural resources.
The call by Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders, follows Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Cambodia to the UN Ke Sovann’s presentation of credentials to Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office, at Geneva on Monday.
In a Facebook post, Lawlor expressed deep concern about the continued detention of the five environmental activists.
“A date for their appeal trial should be scheduled immediately and kept to. Repeated delays compound my concerns that their detention is arbitrary, brought about in direct retaliation for their environmental work,” she said. “Their conviction should be quashed and they should be released.”
The activists’ lawyer, Sam Chamroeun, mentioned that he filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal in July 2024, but the court postponed the hearing once in June last year. There has been no new hearing date scheduled since then.
“Our defense team submitted a letter in February this year, urging the court to proceed with the hearing as the defendants are entitled to the right to a fair trial,” he said.
The Court of Appeal spokesperson Sreng Souyet declined to comment on a trial date for the five environmental activists.
CCHR project coordinator Ruos Sarat said the longer the delay for their appeal, the more their right to a fair trial is undermined.
“As of now, they have been imprisoned for over 20 months as they wait for their appeal which seriously undermines their right to be tried without delay and their right to be presumed innocent,” he said.
He urged the Court of Appeal to proceed with their case as soon as possible, echoing the call by the UN Special Rapporteur to acquit the five immediately.
Sarat noticed that Cambodia has made no progress in the efforts to protect the right to freedom of expression, calling the situation “alarming”.
“Cambodians need more space to express their opinion freely and [to have] a free and independent media,” he said.
Journalists and social media users have been targeted and prosecuted for their work and views leading to a climate of fear and limited freedom of expression in society, he added.
