The prosecutor's office of the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh blamed three Cambodian activists of the Mother Nature movement, as well as its creator, Spaniard Alejandro Gonzalez Davidson, for insulting the king, local media reported on Monday
BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2021) The prosecutor's office of the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh blamed three Cambodian activists of the Mother Nature movement, as well as its creator, Spaniard Alejandro Gonzalez Davidson, for insulting the king, local media reported on Monday.
As Cambodian newspaper Khmer Times said, the police detained three Mother Nature followers, who worked for the movement as an accountant, a researcher and an organizing group worker, on Wednesday. On Sunday, the prosecutor's office announced the decision to press charges.
Although there is no information on how exactly the activists insulted the king, the media said the arrests came after an investigation found out that Mother Nature was an illegal organization funded by foreign terrorist groups, and that while covering its activity under the protection of nature, in reality, the organization collected information on the environment for its further use to overthrow the government.
The court may imprison the activists for 1-5 years, as insulting the king in Cambodia is a criminal offense.
Mother Nature was created as a non-governmental organization in Cambodia by Spanish environmentalist Alejandro Gonzalez Davidson in 2013. In 2014-2015, the group carried out several large protests against the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Areng Valley in southwestern Koh Kong Province.
Although the power plant project was canceled in 2017, Mother Nature was banned by the interior ministry the same year. Gonzalez Davidson was expelled from the country without a right to return.
