As the UN-backed war crimes court in Cambodia prepares to open its trial
this week of top leaders of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, tension and
criticisms are mounting in its handling of two pretrial investigations.
The cases potentially cover tens of thousands of deaths during the
ultra-Maoist government in the late 70s -- which in total, killed an
estimated 1.7 million people.
Clair Duffy is a court monitor for a George Soros-funded organization. Her group called on the UN to probe the tribunal for interference.
The government here has publicly opposed those cases, with Prime Minister Hun Sen claiming that prosecuting them could lead to civil war. Public information on the cases is scarce, in contrast to statements given during the current trial's investigating phase. The suspects' names have only been published in the past two weeks, with media citing leaked documents. Moreover, Duffy says judges have not assigned legal counsel to the suspects in part to limit the record.
Her group urged the UN to look into the co-investigating judges, Sigfried Blunk of Germany and You Bun Leng of Cambodia, for incompetence and judicial independence. The secretary general's office responded by rejecting what it called media speculation.
But a spokeswoman at the court, Yuko Maeda, points out that the judges announcement that they had concluded their investigation doesn't actually signify finality. She explained a back-and-forth process of appeals and requests before the pretrial phase is finished, some of which is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the investigating judges most recent statement, released Friday, warns news outlets from releasing confidential information, threatening them with court action.
Press TV
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