3 young Cambodians imprisoned for "environmental activities"

A Cambodian judge sentenced three young activists to prison terms on Wednesday, saying that their efforts to raise awareness about environmental issues in the country amounted to "incitement."

The local "Voice of Democracy" website stated that Voyn Kyuryaksmi, Long Kuntia and Tun Ratha had been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 18 to 20 months, for "inciting to destabilize social security."

The three, who were each fined $ 1,000, are members of Mother Nature, an environmental activism organization.

The court also indicted in absentia, the organization’s founding partner, Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, and another member, Chia Conten.

In a statement, Phil Robertson, deputy director of the "Human Rights Watch" human rights organization for Asian affairs, criticized the court's "humiliating and unacceptable" persecution of activists.