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Cambodia Khmer Rouge trials at risk from corruption before they start: report

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The credibility of the Khmer Rouge trials in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) are at risk from political corruption and interference, according to a report by the Open Society Justice Initiative released Thursday, just days ahead of the high-profile trial of Khmer Rouge leader Kaing Guek Eav, better known as "Duch," set to begin February 17. The report calls for the Cambodian government and others to address "grave flaws" in the tribunal, suggesting that the government may be blocking further indictments of former senior members of Khmer Rouge. The ECCC plans to try as many as eight suspects for their roles in the regime but is urged by the report to "show it is relying on law and facts, not politics, in deciding how many suspects will be investigated." The Duch case is the first to reach the trial stage. UN and Cambodian officials called for anti-corruption measures in December after allegations were made of kickbacks for judicial appointments. ECCC judges denied the corruption allegations in January, stating that they had no reason to pay kickbacks to government officials. A New Zealand judge serving on the ECCC insisted in an August address to colleagues that the genocide trials "are so important for the people of Cambodia must not be tainted by corruption." The Khmer Rouge regime is generally held responsible for the genocide of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 13, 2009 (boomark / email).