By Erik Wasson
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
NGOs and possible Khmer Rouge defense attorneys Tuesday were busy scrutinizing the new draft internal rules, which were presented for public comment by the Khmer Rouge tribunal Friday.
The draft rules define precisely the roles and rights of judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, suspects, witnesses and victims appearing in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
The public can comment on the rules until Nov 17. The tribunal's international judges will arrive in Phnom Penh on Nov 20 and will then vote on the rules alongside their Cambodian colleagues.
Technical problems and the Water Festival weekend prevented the rules from appearing on the ECCC Web site or on the UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials Web site on Friday and they were still not available Tuesday.
The rules, however, had appeared on the Cambodian government's Khmer Rouge trial task force site by Tuesday.
Thun Saray, president of local rights group Adhoc, said local NGOs will meet Friday to discuss their response to the draft. He said Adhoc was already reviewing the draft and was focusing on provisions for victim reparation and witness protection.
This month, with funding from the European Union, Adhoc will launch a Khmer Rouge tribunal unit that eventually will take on the role of victim and witness protection, as well as outreach, Thun Saray said.
Documentation Center of Cambodia Director Youk Chhang said DCCam's legal advisers were reviewing the draft Tuesday to formulate their response.
"I only hope that the draft has no national or international political influence," he wrote in an email`.
One NGO worker said the judges had done a good job overall in setting out the rules, which were up to international standards.
The rules allow individual victims of the Khmer Rouge to appear before the court and claim financial compensation as civil parties.
Ang Udom, one of the potential defense attorneys for the aging Khmer Rouge leaders, said that he was reviewing the draft rules and that defense attorneys would gather next week in Phnom Penh to discuss them.
The draft rules define precisely the roles and rights of judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, suspects, witnesses and victims appearing in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
The public can comment on the rules until Nov 17. The tribunal's international judges will arrive in Phnom Penh on Nov 20 and will then vote on the rules alongside their Cambodian colleagues.
Technical problems and the Water Festival weekend prevented the rules from appearing on the ECCC Web site or on the UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials Web site on Friday and they were still not available Tuesday.
The rules, however, had appeared on the Cambodian government's Khmer Rouge trial task force site by Tuesday.
Thun Saray, president of local rights group Adhoc, said local NGOs will meet Friday to discuss their response to the draft. He said Adhoc was already reviewing the draft and was focusing on provisions for victim reparation and witness protection.
This month, with funding from the European Union, Adhoc will launch a Khmer Rouge tribunal unit that eventually will take on the role of victim and witness protection, as well as outreach, Thun Saray said.
Documentation Center of Cambodia Director Youk Chhang said DCCam's legal advisers were reviewing the draft Tuesday to formulate their response.
"I only hope that the draft has no national or international political influence," he wrote in an email`.
One NGO worker said the judges had done a good job overall in setting out the rules, which were up to international standards.
The rules allow individual victims of the Khmer Rouge to appear before the court and claim financial compensation as civil parties.
Ang Udom, one of the potential defense attorneys for the aging Khmer Rouge leaders, said that he was reviewing the draft rules and that defense attorneys would gather next week in Phnom Penh to discuss them.
Click here to read or download the ECCC Draft Internal Rules
1 comment:
This khmer rouge trial will be a joke if Sihanouk is not part of the defender of khmer rouge regime. He was their leader from 1970-1976 where most of the killing took place. At present Sihanouk has given unconditional support to hun sen for this later to support him back from sending him to trial.
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