‘Free yourselves from fear’: Cambodian youth activists fight for environmental justice
Mother Nature members (left to right) Long Kunthea, Ly Chandaravuth, Yim Leanghy, Thun Ratha, and Phuon Keoraksmey, leaving the Phnom Penh Capital Court after their fourth trial hearing on June 17, 2024. Photo from Licadho, CC BY-NC 4.0
Ten members of the Cambodian environmentalist group Mother Nature were sentenced to six to eight years in prison for supposedly plotting against the government and insulting the King, but this has only emboldened the youth activists to reaffirm their commitment to fight for environmental justice.
Mother Nature is led by young Cambodians opposing mega-development projects that threaten to displace villagers and destroy the surrounding environment. Some of their campaigns include a video project raising awareness about river water pollution as a result of inadequate waste removal from factories, protests against illegal sand smuggling, and their documentation of sewage pollution near the royal palace.
The activists were previously arrested in 2020 because of their activism and were held in prison for 14 months. The July sentence is related to peaceful protests conducted in 2020 and 2021, as well as reports critical of the government.
Following the sentence, the activists were immediately violently detained and sent to prison, despite outcry outside the courtroom from community members and human rights activists.
This case reflects an alarming pattern of state-backed repression targeting environmental defenders in Cambodia. Between April 2019 and July 2023, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights documented the arrest of 195 individuals, 22 of whom were convicted under various criminal charges, in connection with their land rights activism.
Anticipating the court verdict and their detention, several members were able to write and film messages addressed to the public. Ly Chandaravuth urged Cambodians to overcome fear and oppose the wanton destruction of the environment.
I don't ask the Cambodian people to demand my freedom from the courts, but to free yourselves from the fear that holds you back. This struggle is hard, and if we fall, the suffering will reach our children and grandchildren.
Thun Ratha said he will remain strong despite their incarceration.
If people see this video, it means I am now in prison.
What I want to do most is protect natural resources which belong to the Cambodian people. I have been suffering due to the actions of those who are making use of and benefitting from natural resources with no regard for environmental and social impacts.
I will maintain the strength that I brought here through the immense love of those who support us.
We are sure that what we have done is for the benefit of justice and everyone.
Even though five of the group's members are facing imprisonment, Mother Nature members have continued to advocate for the environment and raise public awareness about the grave impact of some of the government's large-scale projects.
When we advocate for the protection of natural resources, we often face accusations of being anti-development. But should we sacrifice these vital resources in the name of progress? Is development justified if it leads to excessive depletion of our natural heritage? Our five friends have been arrested for standing up against destructive practices masquerading as development.
Mother Nature members have continued to organize campaigns and distributed leaflets and posters aimed at gathering support for the urgent release of their imprisoned fellow activists.
Mother Nature members have a message to Cambodian authorities: “Free our friends”. Photo from the Mother Nature Cambodia Facebook page. Used with permission.
In an online interview with Global Voices, a member of Mother Nature shared how the group has changed their strategy and protocols since its members were slapped with criminal charges.
The arrest has (forced) us to quickly relocate from place to place for our safety because we didn’t want to lose our core members anymore.
And yet we have to reset, refocus on the mission no matter how tough it is. We made our choice to work continuously after the arrest of our friends. We keep our wills of environmental protection ahead of everything.
They reiterated their pledge to continue fighting for a cleaner future.
The more they arrest our members, the more defenders are coming up. We will be always here fighting for environmental justice.
It’s our duty to accomplish our aspiration to live together with nature peacefully. We can’t live without it, can’t live our happy lives without nature. That’s why we are demanding power to the people not the regime.
Indeed, Mother Nature has continued to campaign against illegal logging, sand dredging, and the building of mega dams. They posted this message on X (Twitter) five months after their members were convicted by a local court.
It has been five months since the Cambodian courts arrested and imprisoned activists from the Mother Nature movement under anarchy. After five months of brutal arrests, have the environment and natural resources been better protected, or are they worsening and facing increasing… pic.twitter.com/81HRxkr63d
— Mother Nature Cambodia (@CambodiaMother) December 2, 2024
The persecution of Mother Nature members has been condemned by local and global civil society groups. Several human rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Licadho, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, have also called for their release.
At the time of writing this piece, more than 104,000 people have signed an online petition demanding the release of the youth activists.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Mission of Cambodia to the United Nations has called members of Mother Nature “self-proclaimed environmental activists” and insisted that the “defendants had full opportunity to be heard, including the right to counsel, and to disprove the charges as part of the right to a fair trial and due process.”