The Associated Press
The planned genocide trial of Cambodia's former Khmer Rouge leaders faced a possible new hurdle Thursday, when the country's lawyers demanded it be responsible for certifying defense counsels taking part in the tribunal.
Ky Tech, president of Cambodian Bar Association, also insisted that a proposed defense unit within the hybrid Cambodia-United Nations genocide tribunal halt its plan to set up an office and recruit and train staff.
He said the unit encroaches on the sovereignty of his group, which under Cambodian law is the only body mandated to regulate legal professionals in Cambodia.
The unit "is intentionally and stubbornly violating Cambodian laws and the authority of the Bar Association. But I will not idly sit by," Ky Tech told The Associated Press.
He also threatened to take unspecified legal action against the proposed defense unit if it pushes ahead with its bid to become operational within the tribunal, officially known as Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
"Those who seek to set up the defense unit are trying to create a state within a state, which is unacceptable," Ky Tech said. "We do not object to foreign lawyers coming to practice law in Cambodia, but they must abide by the law of the Cambodian Bar Association."
The tribunal was created by a 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations after years of difficult negotiations to try to seek justice for crimes committed when the Khmer Rouge held power in 1975-79. The radical policies of the now-defunct communist group led to the deaths of some 1.7 million people from execution, overwork, disease and malnutrition.
Prosecutors are currently working on building cases for trials that could start sometime next year. They are expected to indict about 10 defendants, including the few surviving top Khmer Rouge leaders.
The defense unit would provide legal support for future defendants.
Rupert Skilbeck, the principal defender heading the unit, was busy in a meeting and unable to comment Thursday.
Skilbeck said last week that a vigorous defense is crucial for establishing the tribunal's fairness and credibility.
The matter of a defense office is among some 110 internal rules of conduct for the upcoming trials being discussed at a meeting of tribunal judges and prosecutors. The meeting, which started Monday, will end Saturday.
Ky Tech, president of Cambodian Bar Association, also insisted that a proposed defense unit within the hybrid Cambodia-United Nations genocide tribunal halt its plan to set up an office and recruit and train staff.
He said the unit encroaches on the sovereignty of his group, which under Cambodian law is the only body mandated to regulate legal professionals in Cambodia.
The unit "is intentionally and stubbornly violating Cambodian laws and the authority of the Bar Association. But I will not idly sit by," Ky Tech told The Associated Press.
He also threatened to take unspecified legal action against the proposed defense unit if it pushes ahead with its bid to become operational within the tribunal, officially known as Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
"Those who seek to set up the defense unit are trying to create a state within a state, which is unacceptable," Ky Tech said. "We do not object to foreign lawyers coming to practice law in Cambodia, but they must abide by the law of the Cambodian Bar Association."
The tribunal was created by a 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations after years of difficult negotiations to try to seek justice for crimes committed when the Khmer Rouge held power in 1975-79. The radical policies of the now-defunct communist group led to the deaths of some 1.7 million people from execution, overwork, disease and malnutrition.
Prosecutors are currently working on building cases for trials that could start sometime next year. They are expected to indict about 10 defendants, including the few surviving top Khmer Rouge leaders.
The defense unit would provide legal support for future defendants.
Rupert Skilbeck, the principal defender heading the unit, was busy in a meeting and unable to comment Thursday.
Skilbeck said last week that a vigorous defense is crucial for establishing the tribunal's fairness and credibility.
The matter of a defense office is among some 110 internal rules of conduct for the upcoming trials being discussed at a meeting of tribunal judges and prosecutors. The meeting, which started Monday, will end Saturday.
2 comments:
The ruling party flexes its first muscle via the Bar Association to disrupt the trial process.
SiS
I thought Ky Tech was ousted in the last bar election for President. What is going on here? The process for the KR tribunal is an agreement between the U.N. and the Cambodian government, not between the U.N. and the Cambodian Bar Association. Their role is to help facilitate the process, not to obstruct it. I wonder what is in it for him.
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