Francophonie Summit Must Speak Up On Mother Nature Cambodia 5

They protested government-backed developers' destruction of Boeung Tamok, a vital wetland in Phnom Penh, and the illegal logging of the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. They stood up against the destruction of mangrove forests and critical coastal habitats in Koh Kong, and documented and exposed the illegal pollution of the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh.

Their supposed crime? Simply put, speaking out against the corruption and greed that drive the plunder of Cambodia's natural resources. They urged protection for the environment, and when authorities and their cronies ignored those calls, they organized peaceful, symbolic public protests to draw attention to their demands.

The government responded by revoking Mother Nature's legal registration and harassing, intimidating and ultimately imprisoning its top activists.

The five were unjustly convicted for“plotting” against the government and sentenced to six years in prison. Their lawyer appealed their convictions in July 2024 and has pressed the request repeatedly since.

Nearly two and a half years later, the government has yet to schedule an appeal hearing. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) investigated the MNC5's treatment by the government and judiciary, and comprehensively concluded that their detention is arbitrary and unjust on multiple grounds.

The working group said that“the appropriate remedy would be to release [them] immediately and accord them an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”

Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, also prominently raised their case in his October 2026 report to the UN Human Rights Council and called for their release.

The government has deliberately sent them to separate prisons, and cruelly ensured they are incarcerated in facilities far from their families, making visits extremely difficult. Keoraksmey, widely known by her nickname Akeo, is from Bavet City, on the Cambodia-Vietnam border in Svay Rieng province, but is being held in Pursat prison, a seven-hour drive from her home.

Cambodian prisons are the second worst worldwide in terms of overcrowding, according to the World Prison Brief, with inadequate nutritious food and clean water. Each of the MNC5 faces these conditions daily. Each of the MNC5 was a breadwinner for their families, who now suffer serious economic hardship in their absence.

Yet despite these hardships, the five activists stand firm that they have done nothing wrong and should be released.“We are willing to express our thanks to the authorities if we are released, but we will not apologize to them,” Ly said from prison.