Free the Mother Nature Cambodia activists NOW!
A young supporter in Phnom Penh calls for the release of the activists (© MNC)
On April 30, the Supreme Court will announce the verdict on the bail application for the environmental activists. (© MNC)
Apr 25, 2025
Five young members of Mother Nature Cambodia (MNC) have been imprisoned for 300 days. These activists are dedicated to protecting the environment and defending human rights in Cambodia – and they have been sentenced to six to eight years in prison for their actions. On April 30, the Supreme Court will decide on their request for bail.
On the morning of April 23, Long Kunthea, Ly Chandaravuth, Phuon Keoreaksmey, Thun Ratha and Yim Leanghy appeared before the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh to request their release on bail. In February the Court of Appeal rejected their request for dismissal.
They have already been in custody for almost a year – locked up in various prisons across the country, hundreds of kilometers from their homes and families.
The young activists are accused of conspiracy against the government and insulting the king – six to eight years in prison was the shocking verdict of the court in Phnom Penh, which sparked outrage among many human rights organizations around the world.
For more than ten years, the MNC members have campaigned for environmental protection, human rights, democracy and transparent development in their country through imaginative and media-effective campaigns. They were honored with the Alternative Nobel Prize in 2023 for their courageous and committed work. However, the Cambodian government is cracking down on the group. Time and again, the young MNC activists end up in prison.
The harsh sentence and the inhumane prison conditions have left their mark on the five young people.
“I’m asking for provisional release because of my difficult family situation,” Yim Leanghy told the court on April 23, according to Camboja News. “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.”
Thun Ratha also emphasized his deteriorating health and the birth of his child last month. “I have three kids now, and all the responsibility falls on my wife. So I urge the court to pity me and my children.”
Am Sam Ath of the Cambodian human rights organization Licadho called for continued support for the imprisoned MNC activists, saying their case fits into a broader pattern of the government’s crackdown on environmental activists.
Rainforest Rescue supports this appeal. Please sign our petition to the Cambodian government if you have not already done so and share MNC’s appeal to the Supreme Court in your social media.
Please use the following hashtags when sharing the news and the petition:
#FreeOurFriends #DefendTheDefenders #notforgotten
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Facebook: @MotherNatureCambodia
