Hoy Mai, 61, cuts down weeds on the farm she runs with her children in Oddar Meanchey province in northern Cambodia. The rice and cassava fields in her area stretch out to the horizon.
But 14 years ago, Mai was far from this landscape, trapped in a prison cell in Siem Reap, pregnant and terrified. She was imprisoned for eight months after she refused to sign over her five hectares of farmland to make way for a proposed sugar plantation.
“My experience was horrible. My life has been difficult, and I have made sacrifices up until today,” she said. “Everyone has the right to seek justice. That’s what keeps motivating me.”
