Cambodian genocide tribunal judges demand retraction over corruption allegation
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian judges of the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal have asked a New York-based legal group to retract an allegation that judges were funneling kickbacks to the government in exchange for their jobs.
One of the panel's lead judges, Kong Srim, defended his colleagues in a statement dated Thursday that dismissed the accusation by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
It "creates public confusion and seriously undermines the reputation and integrity of all national judges appointed to" the tribunal, said the statement, which asked the group to "correct by appropriate means this unsubstantiated allegation."
Kong Srim is the president of the supreme court chamber of the long-awaited Khmer Rouge tribunal, which is officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia.
The tribunal is scheduled to start later this year, but has been bogged down by internal disagreements between Cambodian and foreign judges over drafting rules that will govern the proceedings.
The tribunal was created by a 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations after years of difficult negotiations seeking justice for crimes committed when the Khmer Rouge held power from 1975-1979.
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.
The tribunal has been set up to operate under the Cambodian judicial system, which is widely regarded as corrupt and susceptible to political influence.
The Open Society Justice Initiative, which has assigned two observers to monitor the tribunal, alleged in a Feb. 14 statement that, "Cambodian court personnel, including judges, must kick back a significant percentage of their wages to Cambodian government officials in exchange for their positions on the court."
In Thursday's response, Kong Srim said that the Cambodian judges made their decision to work at the tribunal "without being subject to any pressure or promise as mentioned in your statement."
"We all clearly understand that bringing justice to the people of Cambodia, especially victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, is a mission that requires the highest level of professional responsibility," he said.
The United Nations development agency, UNDP, which is managing some of the tribunal's funds in Cambodia, said in a statement last month it has conducted an audit into finances of the tribunal.
The action, it said, was prompted by "various reports" late last year that "raised concerns about transparency of hiring procedures" of the tribunal. It has not released its findings yet.
Heather Ryan, an OSJI monitor of the tribunal in Phnom Penh, said Friday she had not seen Kong Srim's statement and had no comment.
One of the panel's lead judges, Kong Srim, defended his colleagues in a statement dated Thursday that dismissed the accusation by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
It "creates public confusion and seriously undermines the reputation and integrity of all national judges appointed to" the tribunal, said the statement, which asked the group to "correct by appropriate means this unsubstantiated allegation."
Kong Srim is the president of the supreme court chamber of the long-awaited Khmer Rouge tribunal, which is officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia.
The tribunal is scheduled to start later this year, but has been bogged down by internal disagreements between Cambodian and foreign judges over drafting rules that will govern the proceedings.
The tribunal was created by a 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations after years of difficult negotiations seeking justice for crimes committed when the Khmer Rouge held power from 1975-1979.
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.
The tribunal has been set up to operate under the Cambodian judicial system, which is widely regarded as corrupt and susceptible to political influence.
The Open Society Justice Initiative, which has assigned two observers to monitor the tribunal, alleged in a Feb. 14 statement that, "Cambodian court personnel, including judges, must kick back a significant percentage of their wages to Cambodian government officials in exchange for their positions on the court."
In Thursday's response, Kong Srim said that the Cambodian judges made their decision to work at the tribunal "without being subject to any pressure or promise as mentioned in your statement."
"We all clearly understand that bringing justice to the people of Cambodia, especially victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, is a mission that requires the highest level of professional responsibility," he said.
The United Nations development agency, UNDP, which is managing some of the tribunal's funds in Cambodia, said in a statement last month it has conducted an audit into finances of the tribunal.
The action, it said, was prompted by "various reports" late last year that "raised concerns about transparency of hiring procedures" of the tribunal. It has not released its findings yet.
Heather Ryan, an OSJI monitor of the tribunal in Phnom Penh, said Friday she had not seen Kong Srim's statement and had no comment.
2 comments:
I urge all Cambodians to stand up and be not bullied by any monkies. Without justice for the victims of the Khmer Rouge, Khmer will be considered like an apes ( Second classe human.
Please visite www.cambodiana.org/default.apsx
We must stand up for justice
Areak Prey
Shut the fuck up, Ah Khmer-Yuons
Kmean Srok. We all know you are
trying to destroy Cambodia and
Khmer culture and tradition.
You aint fooling anyone by claiming
to be our friend on one hand while
bashing everything about khmer with
the other hand, you stupid fools.
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