HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AWARDED
Venerable Luon Sovath, in his room at Wat Ounalom © Nicolas Axelrod 2009
Venerable Luon Sovath blesses protestors in front of the Ministry of Justice in May 2012. © Nicolas Axelrod 2012
Luon Sovath talks to villagers in Phnom Bat who had been evicted from their homes in Borei Keila in Jan. 2012 © Nicolas Axelrod 2012
On October 2 2012, Venerable Luon Sovath was awarded the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
Luon Sovath, known for his work as a human rights defender, is an active advocate against forced evictions in Cambodia. He works filming and recording events, writing songs and poems documenting the continuing struggle of the Cambodian people. Through his peaceful actions he shares important information denouncing human rights abuses relating to forced evictions.
He himself was directly affected by a forced eviction, when in March 2009 he saw his family and fellow villagers lose vital farmland to a powerful businessman. During the eviction four villagers were shot and seriously injured when trying to defend their farmland.
His work is not without risk; he regularly faces threats, intimidation, and arrests. In September 2011, he was ordered by the Supreme Patriarch Non Nget to leave his pagoda in Phnom Penh and banned from all pagodas in the capital. Again in May 2012, monks and plain-clothes policeman arrested him while he was documenting a protest against the imprisonment of 13 Boeung Kak villagers.
Luon Sovath, known for his work as a human rights defender, is an active advocate against forced evictions in Cambodia. He works filming and recording events, writing songs and poems documenting the continuing struggle of the Cambodian people. Through his peaceful actions he shares important information denouncing human rights abuses relating to forced evictions.
He himself was directly affected by a forced eviction, when in March 2009 he saw his family and fellow villagers lose vital farmland to a powerful businessman. During the eviction four villagers were shot and seriously injured when trying to defend their farmland.
His work is not without risk; he regularly faces threats, intimidation, and arrests. In September 2011, he was ordered by the Supreme Patriarch Non Nget to leave his pagoda in Phnom Penh and banned from all pagodas in the capital. Again in May 2012, monks and plain-clothes policeman arrested him while he was documenting a protest against the imprisonment of 13 Boeung Kak villagers.
The abolishment of private property by the Khmer Rouge have left many Cambodians vulnerable to forced evictions. Land disputes have been an increasing issue in Cambodia – not just for small farmers and villagers, but also for city dwellers that have lost their homes to development projects. It is estimated by local NGOs that since 2003, more than 400,000 people in Cambodia have lost their land without proper compensation.
Congratulations Venerable Luon Sovath, if you would like to follow Sovath’s work please visit his blog: http://luonsovath.blogspot.com
Venerable Luon Sovath recording a demonstration in front of Pray Sar prison. June 2012. © Nicolas Axelrod 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment