"Mother Nature founder has charges dropped", 22 August 2019

The Koh Kong provincial court … dropped the case against Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, the founder of environmental NGO Mother Nature.

Gonzalez-Davidson had been charged with being an accomplice in “threatening to cause destruction, defacement or damage” and inciting others to do the same under articles 29 and 424 of the Criminal Code.

“The trial judges ruled to free Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson from the charges,” said Koh Kong Provincial Court spokesperson Un Sovantheany…

The case centred around the alleged repeated obstruction of sand-dredging operations.

Three Mother Nature Cambodia activists, San Mala, Sim Samnang and Try Sovikea, were … sentenced to 18 months in prison for “threatening to cause destruction, defacement or damage”. They were fined a total of more than $25,000.

… “The court dropped the case, but we are not sure whether the prosecutor will appeal against the judges’ decision.

“The court announced the verdict due to my client’s absence, so I don’t have the complete ruling yet. I am happy there has been a fair result for my client,” Gonzalez-Davidson’s lawyer Sam Chamroeun told ...

When contacted, Gonzalez-Davidson told … that he was pleased to have been exonerated.

“The judges said I was innocent, and if the prosecutor doesn’t file an appeal against the verdict, this will be the first case like this I think I have ever seen.

… Prosecutor Iv Tray told … that he had yet to decide on filing an appeal. He said he had 30 days in which to do so.