By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
07 August 2009
Cambodia’s legacy of violence is continuing to manifest itself in the penal system, leading to a high number of abuse cases of suspects and detainees, a rights expert said Thursday.
Police officials are following the example of those who have gone before them, using violent interrogation tactics, and they lack training on the proper questioning of suspects, said Chhiev Huor Lay, a senior prison researcher for the rights group Licadho. And the abuse occurs with impunity, he said.
“Torturing for answers results in poor justice, because when a person is hurt, he will say anything to avoid a beating,” Chhiev Huor Lay said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
In 2008, there were 85 cases of reported torture in police interrogation, including one female, he said. In the first 8 months of 2009, there have been 42 reported cases, including three women.
Cambodian and international law are both designed to protect prisoners from torture in interrogation, but Chhiev Huor Lay said he had found that suspects often feel they deserve to be tortured because they’ve committed a crime.
As a result, many instances of torture go unreported.
“They are afraid of revenge [from police], and that no one can find justice for them,” he said. “That’s why they don’t file a complaint.
Police officials are following the example of those who have gone before them, using violent interrogation tactics, and they lack training on the proper questioning of suspects, said Chhiev Huor Lay, a senior prison researcher for the rights group Licadho. And the abuse occurs with impunity, he said.
“Torturing for answers results in poor justice, because when a person is hurt, he will say anything to avoid a beating,” Chhiev Huor Lay said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
In 2008, there were 85 cases of reported torture in police interrogation, including one female, he said. In the first 8 months of 2009, there have been 42 reported cases, including three women.
Cambodian and international law are both designed to protect prisoners from torture in interrogation, but Chhiev Huor Lay said he had found that suspects often feel they deserve to be tortured because they’ve committed a crime.
As a result, many instances of torture go unreported.
“They are afraid of revenge [from police], and that no one can find justice for them,” he said. “That’s why they don’t file a complaint.
10 comments:
Interrogation Torture not just Khmer Rouge legacy in Cambodia, the other country also does. In order to get answers from prisoner, we (Khmer Rouge) must be beaten and tortured using any equipment to make prisoner respond. I’m sorry I hate to bring this up.
AngkorianMan Krama Man
at least, it's the truth. get used to it. i thought you want to know the truth, especially if it's going to help cambodia to find justice for victims.
Those tax payers sent million and million of dollars to pocket this fake KRT, but the real killers were Vietnamese, still people like to pursue the who while Vietnamese are now Khmers from Vietnam.
Now after Vietnam war, the enemies US and Vietnam become best friends. What a joke?
The US is too smart, allowed Vietnam to buy Submarines and Helicopters from Russia, because China also used the same Russia's technology. Guess what? The US can learn what how much Russia has in term of its technology.
Now for its own interest the US using Vietnam to cause troubles in SEA closing its eyes on Cambodia's crisis like human violation etc.
Of course Vietnam is playing doubled-strategies for its own interest.
Don't be surprised if PAD is also being infiltrated by the Vietnamese to cause troubles between Thai and Cambodians. If Thailand is not worried Bhumibol, His Queen and their son didn't often visit Hanoi. And know why Hanoi celebrated Bhumibol's BD?
If thing goes wrong in Cambodia, the US will be blamed for that.
4:24 AM,
You are right on that. I have to give you credits for speaking the truth. The US has at least one everybody knew is Guantanamo Torture in Cuba.
Guantanamo camp is completely different from the torture centers created by the Pol Pot. American government tortures those who has harmed America while Khmer Rouge tortured the innocent Khmer people. And no doubt about the fact that Hun Sen still uses similar methods to torture his opponents these days: He was and still is a Khmer Rouge.
The world is full of mystery isn't it? How many million secret chambers those powerful people use to execute innocence people we don't know about?
Vietnamese executed many and many Khmers and some disappeared without a trace, not even graves.
25 million North Koreans who live in fear and if one member of the family escaped the whole vilage will be dead.
To all belove Khmer,
You are not deserve to be Khmer, Khmer Australian, or Khmer American...etc if you are not support or donate money to SRP and dares to support the CPP. Despite, we have hidden this policy because Hun Sen and CPP can mocking on us but SRP and our supporters will carry this policy until we win the election. In addition, whoever dares to post any topic in this forum which doesn't support SRP, we will use very bad languages to hunt you down. We are the best in using bad languages against Hun Sen and the CPP.
The opposition (SRP) has no policy to force any Khmer to support us, but if any Khmer dares to support the CPP, SRP and our supporters will brand you as Youn.
Sam Rainsy Party (Candle light)
It is great to know a secret policy of Sam Rainsy Party in insulting whoever support Hun Sen's regime and the CPP.
Please keep fighting and insulting whoever doesn't support SRP.
Khmer in NZ
How about those, including me, who support nobody because they have been sick and tired of having been fooled by most politicans? I don't think it's a good policy to pain someone as a Yuon because he does not support the SRP, is it?
i don't think it's that bad! just keep demand more reforms as cambodia can use a lot of reforms for the benefit of all khmers and citizens.
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