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| Swiss judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet is expected to leave the Khmer Rouge tribunal on Friday. (Photo: Courtesy of ECCC) |
Thursday, 03 May 2012
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
“We’re still waiting for a new appointment of new judges [to see] whether this can move on.”
Swiss judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet is expected to leave the Khmer Rouge tribunal Friday, following a turbulent run as international investigating judge that critics say underscored high-level political interference at the UN-backed court.
Before leaving, however, the judge issued his own decisions on two suspects of a potential third case at the court, saying former navy chief Meas Muth and former air force chief Sou Met were among those “most responsible” for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge and should therefore be prosecuted by the court.
The widely publicized names were redacted from the official decision, which was not signed off on by his counterpart, judge You Bunleng. The court’s mandate is to pursue only those suspects considered “most responsible” for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge. Kasper-Ansermet said in his decisions the tribunal had the duty to bring the two men to justice.
According to court documents, Meas Muth is accused of purges inside his division, the arrest and execution of Thai and Vietnamese fishermen and the transfer of prisoners to the notorious Tuol Sleng torture center; Sou Met is accused of running a security center and supervising forced labor of the Kampong Chhnang airport.
Meanwhile, court observers say the UN and Cambodia must appoint a new international investigating judge after Kasper-Ansermet’s departure.
Meas Muth and Sou Met are under Case 003, with another three suspects in Case 004. Both cases are strongly opposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior government officials, and critics say they are unlikely to be completed.
Kasper-Ansermet is the second judge to leave the tribunal over the cases, along with a number of important staff members. Kasper-Ansermet has said he had little cooperation from the Cambodian side of his office.
UN officials say more judges are being considered for nomination.
“We’re still waiting for a new appointment of new judges [to see] whether this can move on,” said Latt Ky, a tribunal monitor for the rights group Adhoc.
2 comments:
i hope everything will work out fine, despite opposition, etc, really. these top crazy KR leaders must be brought to justice because it was their regime that saw cambodia destroyed and millions of lives lost. no excuse in the world can justify what the stupid, primitive KR regime did to cambodia and khmer people in the millions. everyone that lived through that murderous regime deserves justice and answers and compensation, etc for what people went through then, you know. the KR regime were allowed to abuse people and discriminate and prejudice and bias toward all the people they don't trust, etc. that's not civilized, that was cruel, evil, ignorant, stupid, primitive, hate, abuse, etc, etc, you name it, really. that regime top leaders must be brought to justice so that history like this can never be tolerated or allowed to happen again in cambodia or anywhere else on earth for that matter, really. god will see to it that they will be punished or penalized for their evil deed, etc... justice for cambodia and khmer people will prevail, sooner or later. do not let anything discourage or stop the civil society from pursuing justice for cambodia and khmer people. may god help and bless my country cambodia.
in the KR case, the top most responsible leaders must be brought to justice; no excuse in the world can justify what their regime did to cambodia and khmer people in the millions, you know.
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