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| Richard Rogers |
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Political interference by Cambodians threatens the independence of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, the head of the defense office said Wednesday.
Richard Rogers, the chief of the U.N.-backed tribunal's Defense Support Section, said in a statement he was leaving his post after four years and called attention to obstruction by Cambodian officials, an issue previously raised by other defense lawyers.
"The greatest challenge for the defense remains the threat of political interference that may undermine the independence of the court," Rogers said, noting the tribunal cannot meet international standards without an effective way to address fair trial concerns.
"It is never easy to represent persons accused of mass atrocities," Rogers said. "The size and complexity of these cases, as well as the political context, has made this task all the more difficult."
The tribunal closed its first case in July when it convicted the Khmer Rouge's chief jailer, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A second trial is expected to start next year for the four top surviving Khmer Rouge leaders.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the trials will stop there, despite wishes by prosecutors and the United Nations to try lower-ranking officers for murder, torture and other crimes.
Critics accuse Hun Sen of trying to limit the tribunal's scope to prevent his political allies from being indicted. Hun Sen once was a Khmer Rouge officer and many of his main allies are also former members of the group.
Court officials have privately spoken about their frustration with having witnesses blocked from testifying and attempts to bring additional cases against ex-Khmer Rouge officials denied.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed the problem of political interference at the tribunal during a visit to Cambodia last month.
Ban told The Associated Press he had emphasized to Prime Minister Hun Sen the need for the government to "provide full cooperation and fully respect the independence of the court."
11 comments:
Even my dogs and cats knew that Ah Hun Khvev had interfered with the Khmer Rouge trial, because this moron is soooooo afraid for himself.
The Irony is, those who want Khmer Rouge trial to continue is the ones who condemn Hun Sen and his party for join hands with the Vietnamese to over throw the Khmer Rouge regime!
Who Save millions of Cambodian from certain dead under the Khmer Rouge? Hun Sen or Sam Rainsy?! When Hun Sen lead his troop to fight with the Khmer Rouge, where is Sam Rainsy? Never heard of of him.
11:33 PM
Please don't be cry...do not start from 7/1/1979. You must start from the day of communist in indo-china born 1930. The mastermine killer killed million of khmers is youn, but not pol pot. Now, youn and CI-PEE-PEE scares of that, youn asks hun sen to block the court KRT like further investigation....
Whoever say youn help khmer, that is completely wrong..is out of mine. 7/1/1979 was just a new way or tactic to kill more khmer.
Khmer krom/PreyNorKor
Only the former Khmer Rouge still believe Youn did all the killing, and Pol Pot is not guilty. These same people are strong supporter of Sam Rainsy. While they are accusing HS to be former KR and try to attach the guilt of the killing field to him, they make every kind of excuse for Pol Pot and his clique.
Why the Khmer Rouge hate HS so much, because HS is the one who over throw Khmer Rouge regime.
Accuse Hun Sen and he will shut up!
Belive me I know Khmer way.
12:00 AM
You are right! That is the fact! Khmer all generation killed by Viet and Thai. Just different way of killing methods. Don't look short, we have to look back in the past.
Khmer Washington USA
11:33 PM
Please don't be cry...do not start from 7/1/1979. You must start from the day of communist in indo-china born 1930. The mastermine killer killed million of khmers is youn, but not pol pot. Now, youn and CI-PEE-PEE scares of that, youn asks hun sen to block the court KRT like further investigation....
Whoever say youn help khmer, that is completely wrong..is out of mine. 7/1/1979 was just a new way or tactic to kill more khmer.
Khmer krom/PreyNorKor
12:00 AM
WOW !
12:00 AM Sir, I salute your response.
All Khmers must learn from 12:00AM
Again, I salute you, sir.
Hi folks: if you study world history about this kind of slaughter, there is no any country which kill their own people so many like Cambodia. We must understand that there are two faces of Youns, Youns Pol Pot want to clean all Khmers and Youns Hun Khvak come to liberate Khmers, that is all Youns' ideas.
Thats right! We dont want any more Yuon in Cambodia. That is why we'll start with Mr. Hun Sen and work our way down from there. We only welcome peaceful, friendly and non communist Viet, so if u are one and you want to rid your country of communist then come fight with us on our side. We'll welcome you with open arms. ;)
CPP leaders are all Yuon and Yuon Viet Minh, Khmer Viet Minh as fellow:
1. Chea Sim ( former Khmer Viet Minh, Khmer Rouge , CPP )
2 .Heng Samrin ( former Khmer Viet Minh, Khmer Rouge , CPP )
3 . Hor Namhong ( Khmer Rouge former prison chief of B 32 )
4 Meas Sophea ( Yuon born in Vietnam serving as army general in Hun Sen regiem )
5. Hun Sen ( former Khmer Rouge )
Yuon handling KR Trial or ECCC , not Khmer.
Stage by stage yearly plan of killingfield can be illustrated by reginal movements and killings,taken place by simple accusation and mass grave killings.
Cambodian human resources were:
-Intellectuals expatriated from overseas were killed by mastermind Hor.
-Some killing by hatred and revenge in 1975,including ex.armies
-Local intellectuals between 1976-77.
-A clean up of declared cultural revolution from 1977,ranging from low class ex.officials and high school students.
-Massive killing of mass grave with reginal movements,made it more complicated to tract down.
-Then came with 7 January to kill more and declared Saviour,enforced Khmers with twisted concept of Grattitude.
-Thereafter the K 5 and K 6 plans to kill more left over teenagers and khmers could implicate the rise up.
These were strategic plans to weaken a nation then control.
Mr Pen Sovann saw that disaster and opposed to the further killing.
So,the ECCC has to continue in finding those who were behind diect killing and indirect killing.
Khmer victims still being haunted by these killings.
Peasant
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