Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Khmer Rouge Defense Files Case Against PM

Khmer Rouge 'Brother Number Two' Nuon Chea attends a public hearing at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, October 19, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

Monday, October 24, 2011
VOA News

Defense lawyers for a top Khmer Rouge leader charged with genocide have filed a complaint against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, accusing him of interfering in the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal.

Lawyers for Nuon Chea, the Number Two Khmer Rouge leader, say the prime minister and several other officials have interfered with the defendant's right to a fair trial. They say this included unlawfully blocking witnesses from testifying and trying to prevent investigations into new cases.

The government has denied interfering in the tribunal's work.

The lawsuit comes just days after the head of the United Nations’ Office of Legal Affairs, Patricia O’Brien, called on Cambodian authorities to stop making statements opposing the progress of two of the court's four main cases.


On October 9, German judge Siegfried Blunk resigned from the tribunal complaining of government interference.

Nuon Chea is set to go on trial next month along with three other defendants. They face several charges, including crimes against humanity, for their part in the deaths of up to 2 million people during the period of Khmer Rouge rule in the late 1970s.

The U.N.-backed tribunal so far has convicted one former Khmer Rouge prison warden and is trying the top four surviving Khmer Rouge leaders in a case that is expected to last for years.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

why he turns yellowish-green ?

Anonymous said...

This ECCC business seems to be Hun Sen's second mistake. The first one was when he believed he would win the free and fair 1993 elections.

Kuoy Pichet

Anonymous said...

Sooner or later one eyes strongman gonna run into a hole hiding and crying.

Anonymous said...

Why this ECCC always has problems:

I really feel sorry for the UN who has been under the pressures and influences from both side of Hanoi and US.

It is very clear that Hun Sen has been interfering this ECCC for long to block the ECCC court process so fully and openly public hearing of Case 002 never take place .

For many Khmer or Cambodian we all know that who really behind Hun Sen , We all know that Hanoi has been behind Hun Sen but Hanoi , Hun Sen alone cannot play this show trial if US ( behind ) UN do not turning blind eyes or do not giving green light to this Hanoi ECCC.

So this is Hanoi-US ECCC in Cambodia.

This is a show trial. So we the victim must stop wonder why this ECCC always has problems

Anonymous said...

Nuon Chea, you are a good man to bring the dumb ass PM Hun Sen to KRT. Hun Sen is the worst!

Anonymous said...

10:11 AM

You feel sorry for UN? Are you serious? UN do not care about the Khmer people, the reason why they even get involve in the first place, is that UN and US accept Pol Pot as the ruling government as Sihanouk flee into Thailand. So you see, UN and US and even CHina are responsible for the millions of Khmer that died.

Just so you know, US even bombed CAmbodia during the Pol Pot War, thinking that we had hidden the Vietnamese army inside our country. You need to read up on your history.

So now, US and UN are supporting Hun Sen, because they have already seen the damages done, and unable to do anymore scared of Hun Sen. and knowing that Hun Sen will create more instability if he doesnt get his way. Why else would they continue to send money and money every year, yet knowing there is no result so far? Fact is, US and UN are scared of Hun Sen. Dont forget that Hun Sen also got backup from his brother in the East and Big brother in China.

Anonymous said...

PLEASE LEAVE PHAY SIPHAN ALONE BECAAUSE THIS MAN DID NOTHING, BUT KISSING UP HUN SEN AND CRONIES FOR LIVING

Anonymous said...

The maltitude of war crimes and crimes against humanity of the Killing Fields is too large for ECCC to handle by itself with credibility and effectiveness, therefore ECCC needs the involvement of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)to make sure that true justice can be found for the victims of the Killing Fields.