Koh Kong provincial court has issued a summons for NGO Mother Nature co-founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson. SUPPLIED
The Koh Kong Provincial Court issued a warrant on April 25, summoning Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, the Spanish co-founder of environmental NGO Mother Nature, to a court hearing on July 30.
The summon, issued by prosecutor Iv Trav and obtained by The Post on Wednesday, said Gonzalez-Davidson, also known as Alex, is charged with “threatening to cause destruction, defacement or damage” and inciting others to do the same.
The offences were allegedly committed in the Prek Andong Teuk area in Botum Sakor district’s Andong Teuk commune between July 26 and 28, 2015, and August 12, 2015.
Gonzalez-Davidson, along with two other co-founders of Mother Nature, was charged under Articles 29 and 424 of the Criminal Code. The case involved their repeated obstruction to sand-dredging activities in the province.
Gonzalez-Davidson told The Post on Wednesday that the summons followed his lawyer’s repeated demands for the court to follow legal procedures and respect the rights of defendants.
“I have my defence right to a court hearing as stated in an international covenant and Cambodian laws. My defence lawyer has tried for more than two-and-a-half years, since March 2016, to push for a hearing. The court dared not schedule a hearing until several days ago."
Provincial court spokesperson Un Sovantheany told The Post on Wednesday that the summons was issued because the case was due for a hearing.
“The court summoned the suspect to inform him of the date for a trial,” Sovantheany said, adding that a defendant had the right to obtain information about a trial.
Gonzalez-Davidson said his name was still on the Cambodian government’s blacklist, which prohibits him from entering the country unless the Ministry of Interior or Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation gave the green light.
“I’ve already requested a visa multiple times but the government did not care or respond,” he claimed, adding that he would return to attend his trial upon receiving a visa.
Gonzalez-Davidson was deported from the Kingdom in February 2015 on grounds of overstaying his visa.
