Members of Mother Nature Cambodia were jailed for defending Cambodia’s environment from exploitation. Take action and demand that the five detained activists are immediately released and all convictions against them are quashed.
Campaign group, Mother Nature Cambodia, have courageously and successfully defended the environment from the harmful actions of companies and the government.
In 2015, they stopped the development of a hydroelectric dam, which would have caused mass deforestation. In 2016, they were behind a ban on sand exports, protecting coastal areas from environmental degradation.
Their commitment to the environment has inspired young people throughout the country, but their activism has come at a high cost. The authorities have repeatedly targeted the group with arrests and prosecutions. In 2020, three of the activists were arrested for peacefully demonstrating against the infilling of a lake. A year later, three more activists were arrested while investigating the pollution of a river.
In June 2024, the activists were sentenced to between six and eight years in prison. Their crime? Protecting the environment. One of the activists fled Cambodia, but the remaining five are enduring harsh prison conditions. Nobody should face prison simply for protecting the planet.