Mother Nature activist Phuon Keoraksmey is violently dragged into a car by police after she was convicted for plotting on 2 July 2024.

Ten Mother Nature environmental activists were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of between 6 and 8 years by a Phnom Penh court this morning, while four of the youth activists who were present outside the court were violently arrested by security personnel.

The panel of judges delivered the verdict at the Phnom Penh Capital Court Tuesday morning, concluding the trial that hinged on two criminal charges - plotting and insulting the king — which were related to Mother Nature activists’ peaceful environmental activism.

Details of the convictions and prison sentences are listed below:

*Person attended at least one hearing

The court issued arrest warrants for all 10 individuals. At 10:40 am, four of the five activists who have been present at the series of trial hearings were surrounded by at least 50 police officers and security personnel while sitting peacefully outside the Phnom Penh court. The police and plainclothes personnel violently dragged them into waiting cars, as fellow activists shouted for their release. At least two of the Mother Nature activists were dragged by their necks.

The location of the fifth Mother Nature activist who was not present outside the court this morning, Yim Leanghy, is not known. Another activist, Eng Sokha, was also detained by police while gathering near the Mother Nature activists during their arrest, but was released after several hours in police custody.

Four environmental activists — Thun Ratha, 32; Long Kunthea, 26; Phuon Keoraksmey, 23; and Ly Chandaravuth, 24 — spent the hours prior to their arrest leading a peaceful march in a funeral-style procession from the Chrouy Changvar roundabout to the court. The activists were dressed in white funerary clothing and joined by around 50 other activists and supporters. Once they reached the court, the four activists chose not to attend the verdict hearing, and instead met with supporters and family members and expressed their desire to see a more just society that protects and defends natural resources for all Cambodians.

Mother Nature activists have for years faced harassment, threats and criminal charges for their peaceful environmental activism, which has included advocating for the halting of sand mining in Koh Kong province, the protection of the Koh Kong Krao island, and preventing the flow of effluents and sewage into water bodies in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.

This article was updated with information on Eng Sokha's release.

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