DPA
Phnom Penh - The international prosecutor at the UN-backed war crimes tribunal called on the court's investigations office Monday to do more work in a case that observers worry is headed for an early closure.
In a statement prosecutor Andrew Cayley said he was 'of the view that the crimes alleged have not been fully investigated.'
Tribunal observers fear political interference combined with UN inaction and donor indifference could mean that Case 003 - and a subsequent case known as Case 004 - will not reach trial.
Cases 003 and 004 reportedly involve two senior military officers and three mid-level Khmer Rouge cadres from the 1975-79 regime.
In October, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that he would not permit Cases 003 and 004 to proceed, a message he has stated publicly several times.
Cayley said the file against the suspects in Case 003 listed crimes that, if proven, would amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as crimes under Cambodian law.
It recently emerged that the investigating judges had not even questioned the suspects before passing the case back to prosecutors, further stoking fears the court was buckling to political pressure.
Cayley said he wanted the investigating judges to question the suspects, notify them they were under investigation, interview additional witnesses, and examine alleged crime sites including several potential mass graves.
Trial observers have criticized the performance of the investigating judges' office, and warned that the way Cases 003 and 004 are dealt with could undermine the court's legacy.
The tribunal's rules mean the investigating judges can dismiss Cayley's requests, in which event the prosecutor would have to appeal the case to the tribunal's pre-trial chamber.
Anne Heindel, a legal adviser at the Phnom Penh-based genocide research organization DC-Cam, said Friday that opposition to the case by the investigating judges and by the chamber's Cambodian judges meant it was unlikely Cayley would be able to keep the case alive.
The tribunal's first case, in which former security chief Comrade Duch was convicted of war crimes, concluded in 2009 but is under appeal.
The second case, against four elderly Khmer Rouge leaders, is expected to begin later this year to determine their alleged roles in the deaths of up to 2.2 million people.
7 comments:
move on buddy!
Knowing what caused the Khmer Rouge regime to exist the first place is more beneficial to Khmer nation than knowing how the killing was conducted or who were the hands-on killers.
Yep Hun Sen is the law.
12:13AM!How Khmer Rouge came to life if you were not a boy and lack of leurning history, you would know that was part of world confussion from World War II of Communisr ideaology!
Who allow to kille and kille people in mass are animal that the world not allow even for the Communist!
What happen from outside is out of our controle but people killing other unarm people is a crime!
Let bring the killer to court !
1:45 AM
If you know that the killings from the Communist ideology and wish to bring the killer to court, don't you wnat to bring the creator of the killing to court also? It was YUON who created POL POT to fight LON NOL, it was YUON who created HUN SEN to fight POL POT, and it was YUON SOLDIERS who fought side by side with POL POT were inside CAMBODIA who never LEFT, and they were all killing each others after they killed our families.
I am so tired of this same KRT that cost tax payers million of dollars and didn't get a single soul and all the MULTI MILLION of Dollars went into the pockets of the Lawyers from oversea and went to CPP monsters.
If you want to help them to make money I can understand.
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer every day.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Koh Tral was a Cambodian island, and technically and legally, remained a Cambodian island until today.
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
The new policy of Hun Sen regime today is to kill all Ex Khmer Rouge because they are the true Khmer patriot that can be harmful to Hun Sen regime as Vietnam slave.
Hun Sen regime sends all Ex Khmer rouge soldiers to frontline fighting with Thai army without enough weapons and foods. Hun Sen ordered the front line army do not fire back to Thai Army while they bomb Ex Khmer Rouge over 50 000 shells. These actions are representing very clear that Hun Sen is trying to clear or kill all Ex Khmer Rouge army by using Thai hands.
The true and real Khmer patriots are the enemy of Hun Sen regime. Vietnam is scare of Ex Khmer Rouge Soldiers as they have been defeat Vietnam army (Over 100 000 Vietnam soldiers have been killed by EX Khmer Rouge Army in Cambodia. That is lead to Vietnam withdraw out of Cambodia) before 1993.
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