Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Kingdom denounces UN rapporteur’s statement on Mother Nature activists’ trial

Kingdom denounces UN rapporteur’s statement on Mother Nature activists’ trial

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
On May 5, three MNC members – Long Kunthea, Phuon Keoraksmey and Thun Ratha – were sentenced to between 18 and 20 months in prison and fined four million riel by the Phnom Penh Municipal court on charges of incitement related to environmental issues. Photo supplied

Kingdom denounces UN rapporteur’s statement on Mother Nature activists’ trial

The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UN Office in Geneva denounced the statements by Professor Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights, regarding the trial of the activists from Mother Nature Cambodia (MNC).

On May 5, three MNC members – Long Kunthea, Phuon Keoraksmey and Thun Ratha – were sentenced to between 18 and 20 months in prison and fined four million riel by the Phnom Penh Municipal court on charges of incitement related to environmental issues.

Two days after the trial, Lawlor issued a statement saying the activists had been imprisoned since September 2020 for attempting to protect Boeung Tamok Lake on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

"I am saddened to learn that three human rights defenders from MNC have been sentenced to 18 to 20 months in prison. Protecting the environment peacefully is not a crime," she said.

Cambodia’s permanent mission to the UN said Lawlor's statement was false and misleading.

“Crime is crime and it cannot be justified because it is in pursuit of other aspirations,” the press release said.

The permanent mission’s statement said that Cambodia values all duly-registered NGOs that are operating within the boundaries of law and that, unfortunately, Professor Lawlor seems to be advocating the work of an unlawful organization that commits crimes in the name of environmentalism.

The mission said MNC had officially dissolved itself in 2017, but the organisation continued on illegally exploiting the environmental movement until today and that the self-proclaimed human rights defenders are not entitled to break the law with impunity.

It said Lawlor did not seem to recognise that the exercise of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly carries with it special duties, responsibilities and limitations, as stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Her failure to recognise that rights come with responsibilities, it added, emboldens those who break the law, spread fake news and incite violence and social division – all of which could potentially plunge Cambodia into chaos.

The Cambodian court conducted the MNC trial in a manner that gave due process to the defendants and convicted them with concrete evidence, not by hearsay. The fact is that – in addition to the defendant’s defence lawyers – representatives from the foreign diplomatic corps and civil society organisations were physically present in the courtroom and can attest to it being a fair and transparent judicial proceeding, the mission said.

It described Lawlor’s remarks as inappropriate and an interference in the national judicial system of a sovereign state, saying the demand for the government to arbitrarily release anyone is tantamount to an attack on the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary that are guaranteed under the Constitution.

UN special rapporteurs are supposed to strictly adhere to the “Code of Conduct” and “Manual of Operations of the Special Procedure Mandate Holders”, which underline the importance of establishing facts which are duly cross-checked and understanding national legislation and the UN Charter, it said.

“Only a cautious approach characterised by due diligence to these protocols will enable states in general and Cambodia in particular to maintain their trust and cooperation with this mechanism,” it said.

Cambodia reaffirmed the government’s steadfast commitment to continue to ensure the free exercise of all rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution and within the rule of law in the best interests of all law-abiding citizens, not any particular group, the permanent said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Tina rebuffs ‘false claims’ over falling paddy price

    Agriculture minister Dith Tina has shed light on the trade of paddy rice in Battambang – Cambodia’s leading rice-producing province – in a bid to curb what he dubs a “social media fact distortion campaign” to destabilise the market. While acknowledging that the prices of paddy

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm