Agence France-Presse
PHNOM PENH // Lawyers for a top Khmer Rouge leader accused of genocide condemn alleged remarks by the Cambodian prime minister describing their client as a "killer" whose testimony was "deceitful".
The comments, reported by Vietnamese media last week, "were a very clear statement about the guilt of Nuon Chea by a high government official," the defence lawyer Michiel Pestman told to Cambodia's UN-backed court, as hearings resumed in the atrocities trial.
"Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea and his co-accused, the former foreign minister Ieng Sary and the former head of state Khieu Samphan, deny charges including crimes against humanity and war crimes for the deaths of up to two million people.
Giving evidence last month, Nuon Chea, 85, partly blamed Vietnam, a country he said wanted to "annex" Cambodia, for the mass killings that occurred under the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime.
During a news conference last week, the Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, was paraphrased by the state-run Thanh Nien daily as saying it was not necessary to respond to the "deceitful" words by Nuon Chea.
The prime minister also reportedly described Nuon Chea as a "killer and genocide (perpetrator) defending himself in an effort to evade the crime".
Mr Pestman said the comments required "a very strong response" by the court, which has long been dogged by allegations of political interference.
"It's not up to the prime minister to decide whether my client is guilty," Mr Pestman said.
"We request you to officially condemn these statements which prejudice our client and violate his rights to a fair trial and ask the prime minister to refrain from such remarks in the future."
The trial monitor Clair Duffy from the US-based Open Society Justice Initiative said it would be "prudent" for government officials not to comment about individuals under prosecution.
"This is especially the case in countries like Cambodia where judicial independence is still a very real issue," she said.
Led by "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge wiped out nearly a quarter of the population through starvation, overwork or execution in a bid to create an agrarian utopia before being toppled by Vietnamese forces.
Hun Sen, himself a former cadre before he defected, travelled to southern Vietnam last week to mark the 33rd anniversary of the ouster of the Khmer Rouge and unveil a monument there to the Cambodian resistance movement.
9 comments:
For fair and justice in Cambodia,
1) Get the Viet out from Cambodia
2) Dismiss the case then let Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, and Ieng Thirith back to their homes to rebuild and defend the country before too late.
January 7 is the Viet invasion
VOTRE COMMENTAIRE EST IMPECCABLE,MOI AUSSI J'AI LA MEME IDÉE. JE VOUS REMERCI ÉNORMÉMENT. DE KHMER MÉAS SOTH AUREVOIR .
HUN SEN EST AUSSI DANS LE GROUPE KHMER ROUGE ET DANS LE K5 ,ÉVICTION FORCER , COMME BOEUNG KAK,BOREY KEYLA , DEY KRORHORME ET ENCORE PLUS..........VOLE DES TERRES DES PAYSANTS POUR LES INTÉRETS DES ÉTRANGERS PARTICULIEREMENT YOUN,CHINE........SANS OUBLIER L'HISTOIRE DE Mme pisseth pilica . LA MAIN DE MR HUN SEN EST BAIGNÉE DE SANG KHMER ,N'OUBLIER PAS LE COUP D'ÉTAT COMBIEN DE MOINES SONT TUÉS? ,IL Y A BEAUCOUP DE PREUVE ENCORE .........de khmer meas soth
The international communities should understand Vietnam's true intention toward Cambodia: make Cambodia a part of Vietnam.
Therefore, Vietnam must create trouble in Cambodia so that it could take advantage of the situation.
For instance, Vietnam created Khmer Vietminh and brainwashed them to kill Khmers during the Pol Pot's era.
Just for curiosity:
Does international law allow one country to kidnap the children of its neighbors and brainwashed them and later used them to attack their own Country and commit the mass killing of their own people?
Vietnam did exactly that to Cambodia. That's why 3 million Cambodians have perished because of Vietnam's bad intention toward Cambodia.
Can the United Nations investigate this case? The UN might find the real Khmer killers during the Pol Pot regime.
CHER MR LE CONTROLEUR ,JE VOUS PRIE DE NE PAS MODIFIER MES COMMENTAIRES S V P!
no excuse is good excuse, the stupid KR killed their own people, that's the bottom line, you know! it's already happened!
US has no time to investigate the crime committed by Vietnam but wanted to use Vietnam to hold up China in Asia as the cold WAR has finished but return once again?
If that happen we are still in the deep of trouble think wider
VIETNAM GOVT IS A KHMER KILLER!
SIHANOUK IS A KHMER KILLER!
MONIQUE IS A KHMER KILLER!
AH HUN SEN,CHEA SIM,AND HENG
SAMRIN ARE KHMER KILLERS!
ALL OF THEM ABOVE WERE/ARE
KHMER KILLERS!
BRING ALL OF THEM TO THE WORLD
COURT!
VIETNAM GOVT MUST PAY THE PRICE!
Chheam Sraek Sbak How
The blood cries and the skin is calling.
Ar Youn Hanoi & Ar Slave Hun Xen are trapping themselves in this Game.
It's time to bring them to the International Court.
Long Live the Justice !
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