"Court upholds sentences of Mother Nature activists", 26 August 2019

The Appeal Court … upheld the Koh Kong Provincial Court’s decision to sentence two former Mother Nature activists to a year each in prison after hearing the pair’s appeal earlier this month.

… last year, the Koh Kong Provincial Court sentenced Hun Vannak and Dem Kundy – two activists from the conservation group Mother Nature – to a year’s imprisonment, with seven months suspended…

The men were arrested … for photographing boats they suspected were carrying silica sand off the coast of a special economic zone belonging to ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat in Kiri Sakor district’s Prek Khsach commune.

The original complaint against them was filed by the chief of staff of Yong Phat’s LYP Group, Chan Nakry…

Defence lawyer Sam Chamroeun told … that Judge Nhoung Thol declared the verdict at 9am in the presence of one of his clients.

Chamroeun said it was true that his clients had taken photographs but claimed it should not have been deemed a private place. “I don’t know what our next course of action will be, but I’ll discuss it with my clients,” he said.

Vannak, who had listened to the verdict in court, said the decision was unfair because their actions were not illegal.

He said that during cross-examination, even the prosecution’s representatives had defended their innocence, and the verdict was in complete contrast with what was heard in court.

…, three other Mother Nature activists – Sun Mala, Sim Samnang and Try Sovikea – were sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Koh Kong Provincial Court for threatening to burn sand-dredging equipment…