- Dozens of Cambodian and international civil society organizations have renewed calls for the release of five imprisoned activists from Mother Nature Cambodia, 700 days after they were jailed on charges widely viewed by rights groups as retaliation for their environmental activism.
- The activists were among 10 Mother Nature Cambodia members sentenced in 2024 to between six and eight years in prison for offenses including plotting against the government and insulting the king; a planned appeals hearing has now been postponed indefinitely.
- Supporters say the activists are being held in harsh conditions in prisons scattered across Cambodia, while repeated bail requests have been denied and families face significant financial and emotional burdens to visit them.
- The case has become a symbol of broader pressure on environmental defenders and civil society in Cambodia, with campaigners urging the government to free the activists ahead of the Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh later this year.
BANGKOK — Seven hundred days after activists from the environmental group Mother Nature Cambodia were imprisoned on charges widely regarded as retaliatory for their activism, 73 international and Cambodian civil society organizations have renewed calls for their unconditional release.
After a trial lasting just over a month, 10 activists from Mother Nature Cambodia were sentenced on July 2, 2024, to between six and eight years in prison. Only five of the defendants attended the hearings, which saw Long Kuntha, 28, Ly Chandaravuth, 26, Phuon Keoraksmey, 25, and Thun Ratha, 34, each sentenced to six years behind bars for plotting against the government; fellow activist Yim Leanghy, 36, received an eight-year sentence for both plotting against the government and insulting the king. The five activists who did not attend the trial were sentenced in absentia.
The appeals hearing for all 10 convicted activists was slated to take place on June 2, but has been postponed indefinitely by the Phnom Penh Court of Appeals.
“The MNC5 are incarcerated in prisons in overcrowded and harsh living conditions, separated from each other and spread out all across Cambodia, hundreds of kilometers away from their families and legal counsel,” wrote the 73 NGOs in an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Hun Manet. “The … NGOs who have signed this letter sincerely request you take immediate action to ensure the unjust convictions of these five activists are reversed either prior to or at their upcoming appeals court hearing in Phnom Penh, and that their freedom is restored.”
Among the 73 signatories are prominent Cambodian NGOs such as the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, and LICADHO, alongside international rights groups such as Amnesty International, Bruno Manser Fonds, and Human Rights Watch. The letter is also signed by groups from across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, who collectively urged the Cambodian government to release the five Mother Nature Cambodia activists ahead of the Francophonie Summit. That meeting, which gathers representatives from 88 member states historically affiliated with France, will be held in Phnom Penh from Nov. 14-16 this year.
“The Francophonie Summit is their one lifeline to the global community this year, and the government doesn’t want to lose that chance,” said Phil Robertson, a consultant working for environmental protection NGO Bruno Manser Fonds. “If the world leaders who are coming to Phnom Penh in November demand Cambodia demonstrate its commitment to fighting global warming and protecting the environment, then the easiest way for the government to do that is release the MNC5.”
According to Robertson, government representatives have visited the five imprisoned activists in an attempt to convince them to publicly apologize and renounce their work in exchange for freedom — a common method for dealing with politically targeted prisoners in Cambodia. But so far, all five have refused these offers.
The imprisonment of the Mother Nature Cambodia activists took place against a backdrop of repression, with environmental defenders frequently targeted by the Cambodian government. Environmental reporter Ouk Mao, who helped Mongabay uncover deforestation in a community forest linked to a powerful mining company, was arrested for a second time in 2025. Meanwhile, following the arrest of six environmental defenders in November 2024, including Goldman Award winner Ouch Leng, a number of the group have since had to flee Cambodia. This, coupled with the ongoing repression of civil society and independent media, has seen Cambodia’s environmental movement hollowed out.
“Fear, limited experience, and the absence of strong leadership have weakened the movement,” said Lisa Mean, an activist with Mother Nature Cambodia, who spoke to Mongabay by phone from an undisclosed location. “What I have learned from the repression is this: freedom does not come without responsibility, courage, and resistance. The regime’s goal is not only to silence people, but to make them afraid to act.”
Mother Nature Cambodia’s peaceful and often playful activism has raised awareness of the environmental harms associated with sand mining, deforestation, and the privatization of natural resources in Cambodia. Their activism has won the group awards, but it also earned them some powerful enemies in the form of the Cambodian elite, many of whom the group accused of profiting from the damage being wrought upon the country’s landscape. Many members of the group, including the five currently in prison, were imprisoned previously as a result of their activism.
Bail denied, appeals delayed
For the five Mother Nature Cambodia activists behind bars at present, repeated appeals to the Cambodian Supreme Court have seen their bail requests denied, both in 2025 and 2026. Their latest appeals court hearing that was scheduled for June 2, 2026, has been delayed.
“Unfortunately, we recently learned the appeals court inexplicably postponed the appeals court date set for June 2, 2026, and has not yet set a new date for the hearing,” the letter continued.
A translation of a letter from the Phnom Penh Court of Appeals, dated May 26, 2026, notes that the scheduled June 2 hearing for the 10 convicted Mother Nature Cambodia activists “is postponed to a future date, under the reason that the presiding judge has personal issues to deal with.”
The letter is signed and stamped by the judge in question, Eut Sothea. Mongabay was unable to contact the court for a comment on the matter. Mongabay sent questions to Ministry of Justice secretary of state Chin Malin over Telegram, a messaging app popular among Cambodian government officials, but Malin deferred to the ministry’s spokesperson. Seng Dyna, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, did not answer the phone when called via Telegram, nor did he reply to questions sent by Mongabay.
“This case has always been politically motivated,” Lisa said. “It seems they have no credible evidence to support the charges, so their strategy is simply to keep delaying the trial.”
While the five imprisoned activists have taken up reading, art, and learning languages during their latest period of incarceration, Lisa said the nearly two years behind bars has taken a toll on the families of the young activists.
“They have never lost faith in their loved ones or in the cause they are fighting for,” she said of the families. “This is not the first time these families have faced repression, but the burden is even greater now because the five activists are being held in different prisons across the country. Many families have had to sacrifice daily necessities to afford travel, visits, and essential supplies. Despite these hardships, they continue to show remarkable strength, resilience, and unwavering support.”
It’s become harder, Lisa added, for Mother Nature Cambodia to continue its activism at the same level due to threats from the government leaving young people fearful of getting involved.
She called on the international community not to remain silent, noting that pressure and solidarity can make a difference.
“You may have the power to silence us today, but no amount of money, fear, or repression lasts forever,” Lisa said, in reference to the Cambodian government. “There is still time to change course and stand with the youth. History will remember the choices you make today. Release the five now.”
Banner image: Phuon Keorasmey, then 23, a prominent figure in Mother Nature Cambodia, is arrested on July 2, 2024. Image courtesy of LICADHO.
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