Thursday, September 10, 2009

Indictments Hint at Tribunal Independence: Scholar

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 September 2009

An American professor who has been following and writing crucial articles about the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal on Monday offered a cautious congratulations to the court’s latest development which could lead to more prosecutions of the regime’s senior leaders.

John Hall, a law professor at Chapman University School of Law, said in a letter to VOA Khmer that “by deciding to open the door to additional prosecutions, the tribunal has proclaimed its determination to remain above political manipulation.”

Hall was referring to a decision by the Pre-Trial Chamber last week to move five more indictments to the investigating judges, following the recommendation of the international prosecutor’s office and against the judgment of the Cambodian prosecutor.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that further indictments could lead to instability or war, fears echoed by Cambodian officials and judges. (Three Cambodian Pre-Trial judges decided against moving the indictments forward, but with two international judges in favor of the move, the chamber did not reach the super-majority necessary to kill the prosecution’s submissions to investigating judges.)

“The apparent willingness of the tribunal to move forward with additional prosecutions suggests that the international judges at least are unwilling to allow Hun Sen to influence the legal proceedings with alarmist threats of impending civil war,” Hall wrote.

The concern of instability has little basis in the reality of contemporary Cambodia, Hall said, calling the split decision “particularly worrying, because the argument against additional prosecutions—a vague and less unconvincing threat of civil war from the prime minister—is clearly not a legal argument adequate for the court to reject additional indictments, such as an insufficiency of evidence.”

Now, Hall said, a worry lingers over whether Cambodian officials will cooperate with the court if the indictments move even further through the process.

“How will the Cambodian government respond if indictments are brought against former senior Khmer Rouge who are currently active supporters of Hun Sen and the CPP?” he asked, referring to the ruling party. “Will the prime minister then use the excuse of national stability to pull the plug on the hybrid tribunal, perhaps proceeding with a purely domestic trial only of the current five defendants?”

The tribunal is currently trying Kaing Kek Iev, the former prison chief known as Duch, and is holding Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, four of the senior-most leaders.

At least one former Khmer Rouge commander, Meas Muth, a probable suspect for indictment who serves an advisory role to the Ministry of Defense, has said he does not fear prosecution for his role in what he says was defense of the country from foreign invasion.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention


Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Executions
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered activists and members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killing innocent Khmer peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutality
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters. 
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.

Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leader of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice. 

Thes Meas said...

To 6:40AM,
I have one question for you.
You said, the CPP bring foreigners from Vietnam to vote in Cambodia for the CPP, so How many thousand of buses or planes did the CPP used to bring all those foreigners to Cambodia to vote for them?.

I would guess at least 300,000 buses load of foreigners to make a different in votes.
measthes@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

at least 4million yuons in srok khmer today and they just use from 5 hundred thousand votes to 1million votes..cpp can have a big outcome votes to win in khmer. That's y ah kwack sacrifies everything for ah yuon...

Anonymous said...

Ah measthes, there are 5.5 million Youns living in Cambodia. Do you see Youns? or You are BLIND? like Ah Hun Sen?

Anonymous said...

Come on Meas Thes,

You are not so stupid and ignorant to the point that you do not know that there are lots of Vietnamese living in Cambodia, are you?

You and your children plan to come back and live in Cambodia. I am glad you do that.

When you are here, you and I can go out together and I will show you who they are. We can go by boat first to visit the Tonle Sap, OK?

Your Cambodian friend waiting for you in Phnom Penh.

Note: Make sure you come back to live here, OK?

Anonymous said...

Folks,why waste your time arguing with TES MEAS.That object is a completed retard.

Anonymous said...

Oh themeas are you jkout retarded stupid and ignorance or all of them combined?
You know why the US build the fences along border Mexico? if you do not understand that I amtelling you fuck you themeas you are pleu and lob
fuckyouthemeas@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Wow what a surprise to read these spammers from 6:40 AM,9:37 AM,10:02 AM, 10:34 AM, 11:14 AM, 1:52 PM and 2:53 PM wrote their junks.
None of these spammers read this excellent article. I come to think one regular spammer 6:40 AM is a real psychopath who has tried to INTERUPT readers from reading good articles such as this article.

I think Professor John Hall made excelent arguments concerning this KRT and Hun Sen's threatening the trial with his civil war is groundless. I have to say that Raoul is after all an idiot or he could be somebody else' spy.