Dr. Kek GalabruTribunal a Model for Courts: Rights Leader
By Poch Reasey, VOA Khmer
Washington
03 April 2009
A leading member of Cambodia’s civil society praised the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal for reaching its first trial, of prison chief Duch this week, saying the tribunal could work as a model for the country’s widely criticized public court system.
The Khmer Rouge tribunal comprises three special chambers to Cambodia’s court system, established only to try former leaders of the regime. The regular public court system, however, faces continuous outcries over political bias and bribe-taking.
The tribunal Trial Chamber opened its first substantive trial this week, putting in the dock Kaing Kek Iev, better known as Duch, for his role as the chief of Tuol Sleng and Prey Sar prisons and the Choeung Ek execution site.
Duch admitted to all 260 crimes in his indictment and asked forgiveness from survivors of his killing machine and the families of victims.
"Although everyone knows the defendant committed serious crimes against humanity, and serious human rights violations, the court still gave him full rights to defend himself,” said Kek Galabru, the founder and president of the rights group Licadho.
The tribunal was demonstrating that non one can escape justice, she said, no mater how much time has passed.
“I think this court can be a model court for Cambodia when it decides to reform and improve its court systems,” she said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
Cambodia has a rare opportunity to find justice for the victims of the Khmer Rouge, she said, adding that she does not want the court to stop if donors stop providing funds.
The Cambodian side of the tribunal is facing a budget crisis. It was only able to pay its staff in March thanks to a $200,000 infusion from the Japanese government. Allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the tribunal have made other donors reluctant to release funding.
The Khmer Rouge tribunal comprises three special chambers to Cambodia’s court system, established only to try former leaders of the regime. The regular public court system, however, faces continuous outcries over political bias and bribe-taking.
The tribunal Trial Chamber opened its first substantive trial this week, putting in the dock Kaing Kek Iev, better known as Duch, for his role as the chief of Tuol Sleng and Prey Sar prisons and the Choeung Ek execution site.
Duch admitted to all 260 crimes in his indictment and asked forgiveness from survivors of his killing machine and the families of victims.
"Although everyone knows the defendant committed serious crimes against humanity, and serious human rights violations, the court still gave him full rights to defend himself,” said Kek Galabru, the founder and president of the rights group Licadho.
The tribunal was demonstrating that non one can escape justice, she said, no mater how much time has passed.
“I think this court can be a model court for Cambodia when it decides to reform and improve its court systems,” she said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
Cambodia has a rare opportunity to find justice for the victims of the Khmer Rouge, she said, adding that she does not want the court to stop if donors stop providing funds.
The Cambodian side of the tribunal is facing a budget crisis. It was only able to pay its staff in March thanks to a $200,000 infusion from the Japanese government. Allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the tribunal have made other donors reluctant to release funding.
2 comments:
I agree fully with Mrs omg Chiv Guech that this UN-Khmer Rouge Tribunal should work as a court model for Cambodia.
First, this Tribunal should make their final decision on Duch by next week and can start on other suspected a week later.
Secondly the Tibunal should investigate in it own problem with salary kickback from Cambodian workers and Cambodian staffs by a join investigation between Cambodian administrators and Overseas administrators. Before you can be a model court, all workers must work independently without interfering from outsiders. Sure, even I am not in Cambodia, I can also understand that most Cambodian staffs have to pay their Bosses from the top to the bottom to be there. That is CPP working ethnic. The Tribunal should eliminate all of these exploitation of kickback system. I am sure all the moneys will go Sok An. If this person has really collected this moneys, the court should also indicted this person as one of the most criminal too. The tribunal should also put pressure to all of those who have taken the kickback to return all the moneys to all Cambodian staffs. Areak Prey
Why are these two people, Sok An & Hun Sen, so greedy? So much power and so much money in their hands !
Turn around and seriously look at your people around you, are they in peace? Have enough to eat? If not, why not? You're the leaders, how much more money, do you need to live till you die? No one lives forever, just in case you forget about it.
Wake up and start doing somethings good for the country.
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