"Freed Mother Nature activists decry 'injustice'" 14 February 2018

Two Mother Nature activists, who were released from prison…said they had been “robbed” of their freedom for the past five months after being arrested for documenting suspected illegal sand-bearing vessels in Koh Kong without evidence that they had committed a crime.

Both Hun Vannak, 35, and Dem Kundy, 21, were released from Koh Kong Provincial Prison after completing their sentences. The pair was found guilty late last month of “incitement to commit a felony” and making unauthorised recordings of a person “in a private place” – despite only filming ships, not people, from their own boat on the open sea.

…The activists…were still upset over the injustice of their conviction, and planned to appeal their guilty verdict…. They also plan to continue to expose environmental issues in the country.

The pair was arrested while filming and taking photos of two boats off the coast of tycoon and ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat’s special economic zone in Kiri Sakor district. After more than four months in detention, they were found guilty during a one-day tria...and sentenced to one year in prison, with seven months suspended.