Members of a Cambodian conservation group are facing up to 10 years in prison on charges its founder says are politically motivated.
The proceedings come amid deepening concern about political freedom in Cambodia under Prime Minister Hun Manet, who took power in 2023 after the decades-long rule of his father, Hun Sen. "It's a kangaroo trial," he said, adding that his lawyer said there was no evidence to support the charges. Founded by Spanish national Gonzales-Davidson in 2013, Mother Nature has long campaigned against environmental destruction in Cambodia, highlighting deforestation, illegal sand mining and corruption in development projects.
The accusations of plotting against the state had not been clarified in court, he said, but three members were arrested after documenting suspected pollution run-off into the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh in 2021.