A court in Cambodia has sentenced ten environmental activists to between six and eight years in prison.
"Today's decision is yet another crushing blow to Cambodia's civil society," says Amnesty International's Montse Ferrer in a statement.
The activists – representing Mother Nature, one of Cambodia's few environmental organizations – deny the allegations of conspiring against the state and believe the charges are politically motivated.
Three of the activists, including co-founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, a Spaniard who was deported from Cambodia in 2015, were sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiracy against the state and insulting the king.
Condemnations also come from the Sweden-based Right Livelihood, which last year awarded Mother Nature a prize that the organization was not allowed to receive in Sweden.
"This situation highlights the urgent need for greater protection for environmental activists and their right to peaceful protest," says the organization in a statement.
The charges against the activists relate to events between 2012 and 2021, including illegal logging and destruction of national natural resources. Some of the convicted have been imprisoned before.
