"Forest activists asked to court over protest", 9 November 2020

The Preah Vihear provincial prosecutor has summoned 11 members of Prey Preah Roka Forest Community Network to testify in a series of cases involving fraud and incitement to cause social unrest in connection with a planned protest for the release of Rong Chhun, the president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions…

Het Nay, a representative of the community and one of the 11 summoned to court, told … that …, the 11 members gathered in the village before travelling to Phnom Penh to join the protest for the release Rong Chhun. But they never joined the protests in Phnom Penh, Nay said.

“We arrived in Phnom Penh but did not join the protest. We just spent one night in Phnom Penh and returned the next morning. Then we were summoned by the provincial court prosecutor’s office for questioning, but we didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.

Nay, who is due testify …, said he is finding a lawyer to request a delay in the proceedings as some have testified already…

Provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc Lor Chan said the 11 community members had been summoned by deputy prosecutor Seng Meng Srun. Eight people were due in court …

He expressed concern that forest activists are being summoned while businesspeople who encroach on land in the Prey Roka area face no legal action.

… Prosecutor Ty Sovinthal urged those who were summoned to not be frightened and come to their appointments to avoid legal consequences…