Cambodian court bars environmental activists from traveling to Sweden to receive ‘Alternative Nobel’

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A court in Cambodia has barred three environmental activists from traveling to Sweden next month to receive the prestigious Right Livelihood Award. A copy of a letter from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s chief prosecutor said in response to a travel request from the members of the group Mother Nature Cambodia that the trip was “not necessary.” Mother Nature Cambodia was named a co-winner of the award often referred to as the “Alternative Nobel” along with a Kenyan community activist and a European humanitarian group that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. The three activists were convicted of incitement to commit a felony for their activities in 2017-2020 to protect Cambodia’s natural resources.