Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
29 August 2007
Lawyers for the notorious prison chief known as Duch have launched the first appeal of the tribunal process, asking that a pre-trial chamber release the suspect ahead of his hearings, the special courts announced Wednesday.
Duch, whose real name is Kaing Khek Iev, has been incarcerated since 1999, under the jurisdiction of the military judicial system. He has been held by the tribunal courts since he was indicted by investigating judges in late July.
Duch's lawyers, Kar Savuth and Francois Roux, filed the appeal against his detention Aug. 23, tribunal officials said in a statement. The case was sent to the pre-trial chambers of the tribunal court, "which will deal with the matter expeditiously," the statement said.
Kar Savuth declined comment Wednesday.
"The pre-trial chamber will decide whether [Duch] will continue to be detained," tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said. "So we will know in the near future."
The appeal is a test for the UN-supported tribunal, Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, a nonprofit legal group providing legal aid to the poor, said Wednesday.
"I think the lawyers acted in accordance with regulations," he said. "If the lawyers are not active, they cannot make the court show its true nature. So the lawyers have to be active. We are waiting to see what the court decides. In the past, sometimes the [national] courts decided without good reason. Now we can learn what kind of reason the Khmer Rouge tribunal will give."
Duch, whose real name is Kaing Khek Iev, has been incarcerated since 1999, under the jurisdiction of the military judicial system. He has been held by the tribunal courts since he was indicted by investigating judges in late July.
Duch's lawyers, Kar Savuth and Francois Roux, filed the appeal against his detention Aug. 23, tribunal officials said in a statement. The case was sent to the pre-trial chambers of the tribunal court, "which will deal with the matter expeditiously," the statement said.
Kar Savuth declined comment Wednesday.
"The pre-trial chamber will decide whether [Duch] will continue to be detained," tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said. "So we will know in the near future."
The appeal is a test for the UN-supported tribunal, Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, a nonprofit legal group providing legal aid to the poor, said Wednesday.
"I think the lawyers acted in accordance with regulations," he said. "If the lawyers are not active, they cannot make the court show its true nature. So the lawyers have to be active. We are waiting to see what the court decides. In the past, sometimes the [national] courts decided without good reason. Now we can learn what kind of reason the Khmer Rouge tribunal will give."
6 comments:
I agreed 100% to release Duch for having a sun shine. He was not a top leaders of the Khmer Rouge. He has worked under instruction of his leaders. He killed mostly all dump Khmer rouges. My interest is to arrest those who killed all innocense Khmers like my family members, my cousins and my fellow citizen, National armies, Government officials and all other educated people.
Whether Mr. Duch will be release for having a sun shine or not, it´s up to the internationale law. But I have a question, who were standing behind the "ANGKA and ..."? Those must be arrested, not only Duch alone. Those killed my parent in 1975 (Because he served in the Gen. Lon Nol army and fighted against the communism) and fast all my family´s mummbers as I was 9.
koun khmer
i agree with post comments. but he needed to watched and protected. He might be killed if he is free before the whole trial take place.
please go after Hanoi! not Mr. Duch!....
why is this mother fucker so obsessed with blaming others. you are the dumb khmer rouge who should have been executed in tuol sleng.
This dumb mother fucker KR will understand JUSTICE, had Duch executed all his family members.
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