Cambodian Environmental Activists boycott 'Conspiracy' trial June 6, 2024

Gibbons eat fruits in a tree in the forest at Angkor Park in Cambodia. The government in the Southeast Asian nation is accused of curtailing efforts to protect the environment. (Photo: AFP)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Cambodian Environmental Activists boycott 'Conspiracy' trial

A group of Cambodian environmentalists dressed in mourning clothes on Wednesday boycotted their trial for conspiracy against the government - the latest legal crackdown on the country's green activists.

Ten activists from Mother Nature, one of Cambodia's last environmental activism groups, are facing prison sentences of five to ten years if convicted in the conspiracy case, the details of which are unclear.

Five of them, wearing all-white mourning clothes, gathered on barricades outside the courthouse when the trial resumed on Wednesday.

They refused to enter after security guards prevented journalists and their supporters from gathering at the entrance to follow the trial.

“We never did anything against the law. We are just young Cambodians who love natural resources,” Phuon Keoraksmey, one of the accused activists, told reporters.

“The charges against us are very extreme because they are criminal charges that could land us in prison for a long time, between five and ten years,” she added.

The other five defendants did not appear in court.

The dispute over the protection or exploitation of Cambodia's natural resources has been a contentious issue in the kingdom, with environmentalists threatened, jailed, and even killed over the past decade.

The trial, which began on May 29, relates to Mother Nature's activism between 2012 and 2021.

The group raised questions about the filling of lakes in Phnom Penh, illegal logging, and the destruction of natural resources across the country.

“We see that forest protectors, people who defend their land, people who protect the environment are being prosecuted by the courts. It's very embarrassing for Cambodia's judicial system,” said activist Long Kunthea outside the court.

Among the 10 defendants is Mother Nature co-founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, a Spaniard who was deported from Cambodia in 2015 after criticizing the government's plans for a controversial dam.

Gonzalez-Davidson and two others also face charges of insulting the king, which could result in prison sentences of one to five years.

Three of the activists were previously arrested for organizing a peaceful march in protest against the filling of a lake in the capital to create land for real estate developments.

From 2001 to 2015, a third of Cambodia's primary forests - some of the most biodiverse in the world and an important carbon sink - were cleared, and the loss of tree cover accelerated faster than anywhere else in the world, according to the World Resources Institute.

Much of the deforested land has been granted to companies in economic land concessions which, according to experts, have boosted deforestation and expropriation in the country.

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