Luon Sovath honoured…
Luon Sovath, the ‘multimedia monk’ and land rights activist, was awarded the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. Follows the Martin Ennals text about Loun Sovath’s nomination: ‘Venerable Luon Sovath, Cambodia. In March 2009, Luon Sovath, a Buddhist monk from Siem Reap, Cambodia witnessed his family and fellow villagers being forcibly evicted from their homes. Forced evictions remove families from their homes, often with no compensation. Despite threats of violence, arrest and disrobing, the venerable Sovath, a non-violent Buddhist monk, uses videos, poems and songs to defend the right to housing, but his advocacy touches powerful economic interests. The threats against the venerable Sovath are very real.’
Luon Sovath is featured in the ‘Quest for Land‘ story which is available as an iApp on iTunes.
CAMBODIA. Phnom Penh. 22/05/2012: Venerable Loun Sovath, a Buddhist monk and land issues activist, monitoring members of the Boeung Kak Lake community trying to rebuild a house on the sand of the filled-in lake.
CAMBODIA. Phnom Penh. 24/05/2012: Venerable LOUN Sovath, buddhist monk involved in monitoring land issues, moments before being taken away by fellow monks and police during demonstration of Boeung Kak Lake residents supporting their 13 fellows arrested on May 22nd.
CAMBODIA. Phnom Penh. 24/05/2012: Venerable Loun Sovath, buddhist monk and land issues activist, being taken away by fellow monks and plainclothes police during demonstration of Boeung Kak Lake residents supporting their 13 fellows arrested on May 22nd.
CAMBODIA. Phnom Penh. 28/05/2012: Venerable Luon Sovath, a buddhist monk advocating Human Rights issues who was threatened to be defrocked by his superiors, at Boeung Kak Lake residents demonstrating in front of the National Assembly for the release of 15 of them arrested and condemned to 2 1/2 years of imprisonment a few days earlier.
CAMBODIA. Phnom Penh. 16/09/2012: Loun Sovath, ‘Multimedia Monk’ and land issues activist, praying for the last time at Boeung Kak Lake community commemorating the first anniversary of the violent eviction of part of the area, before leaving for Europe.