Monks and activists march on the streets of Phnom Penh calling for justice for Kem Ley.

Youth activists, monks, civil society members and family members of imprisoned activists marched together in Phnom Penh today to mark the 8-year anniversary of the killing of political analyst Kem Ley, calling for justice for him and for the release of imprisoned student movement and environmental activists.

After marches through the capital, at around 9 am the groups gathered at the Caltex Bokor gas station where Kem Ley was murdered on 10 July 2016, shot as he was drinking his morning coffee. The subsequent investigation was inadequate and civil society continues to demand a credible and independent investigation into the murder, while authorities have at times cracked down on attempts to commemorate the anniversary of his death.

Several family members of recently imprisoned Mother Nature activists joined the march and called for their loved ones to be released from prison. Activists held signs highlighting the injustice of the continued imprisonment of Mother Nature activists and Koet Saray, president of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA), and calling for their immediate release from prison.