A former top communist official Pen Sovann faces the media at a press conference in Phnom Penh Wednesday, April 30, 1997. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)The Pre-Trial Chamber of the Khmer Rouge tribunal has rejected a request by the defense team of Nuon Chea to call a former Cambodian prime minister to testify in an upcoming case.
Sok Khemara, VOA khmer
Washington Friday, 09 April 2010
Nuon Chea’s defense attorney, Son Arun, had wanted to call Pen Sovann, Cambodia’s first prime minister after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. He had appealed an investigating judges decision not to call Pen Sovann, but he said he received news Wednesday his appeal had been rejected.
Son Arun told VOA Khmer Wednesday the court was failing to call witnesses to history, including six government officials that have so far refused to answer summonses by the investigating judges.
“This is not seen as justice,” Son Arun said.
Pen Sovann, who is now a member of the minority Human Rights Party, was the prime minister under the first government put in place by the Vietnamese after they ousted the Khmer Rouge and began a decade-long occupation of Cambodia.
He was also the secretary-general of the Kampuchea People’s Revolutionary Party, the communist precursor to today’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party. He fought with troops alongside the Vietnamese as they fought the Khmer Rouge.
Pen Sovann told VOA Khmer on Wednesday he would be happy to testify at the tribunal, which is moving toward the prosecution of four jailed Khmer Rouge leaders for atrocity crimes.
“I am a living witness that dares to speak the truth against those who are in detention in Phnom Penh,” he said, adding he had many documents and knowledge about killings under the Khmer Rouge.
Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Wednesday the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber was final, but he did not detail the reasoning behind it.
Sok Khemara, VOA khmer
Washington Friday, 09 April 2010
“I am a living witness that dares to speak the truth against those who are in detention in Phnom Penh.”The Pre-Trial Chamber of the Khmer Rouge tribunal has rejected a request by the defense team of Nuon Chea to call a former Cambodian prime minister to testify in an upcoming case.
Nuon Chea’s defense attorney, Son Arun, had wanted to call Pen Sovann, Cambodia’s first prime minister after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. He had appealed an investigating judges decision not to call Pen Sovann, but he said he received news Wednesday his appeal had been rejected.
Son Arun told VOA Khmer Wednesday the court was failing to call witnesses to history, including six government officials that have so far refused to answer summonses by the investigating judges.
“This is not seen as justice,” Son Arun said.
Pen Sovann, who is now a member of the minority Human Rights Party, was the prime minister under the first government put in place by the Vietnamese after they ousted the Khmer Rouge and began a decade-long occupation of Cambodia.
He was also the secretary-general of the Kampuchea People’s Revolutionary Party, the communist precursor to today’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party. He fought with troops alongside the Vietnamese as they fought the Khmer Rouge.
Pen Sovann told VOA Khmer on Wednesday he would be happy to testify at the tribunal, which is moving toward the prosecution of four jailed Khmer Rouge leaders for atrocity crimes.
“I am a living witness that dares to speak the truth against those who are in detention in Phnom Penh,” he said, adding he had many documents and knowledge about killings under the Khmer Rouge.
Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Wednesday the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber was final, but he did not detail the reasoning behind it.
6 comments:
Court summons CPP officials and they won't come. Now a top level official voluntarily steps up to testify they reject. It's not an independent court.
They want to shut the truth from the Cambodian people. Pen Sovan may talk about Vietnam and Hun Sen can't allow that.
useless court.
This court runs by Chea Leang and paid big bucks by CPP.
Even those foreign are paying big buck (side money) by the CPP.
No, this court is not independent.
ASEAN must take a close look at Vietnam itself. This country (Vietnam) has the most brutal, oppression in Southeast Asia against the ethnic groups namely Khmer Krom and others.
Please take a look before it's teaching Thailand and Myanmar.
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Kek Iev
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
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
Members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky. Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground.
Source: Lightning, Discovery Channel
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed 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
Persecution
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, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
This leads to question the credibility of the ECCC.
cambodia need or can use everyone to help to make a real difference in cambodia in order to improve life, living, situation, etc, there. i think everybody is good at something, but not good at everything. all jobs and positions is important as together they makes cambodia goes around like the churning motion of the sea of milk on in khmer belief. god bless cambodia and all khmer people on earth.
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