September 15, 1999
September 15, 1999
Contact HRF Communications (212) 845 5245 media@humanrightsfirst.orgHuman Rights First Urges Establishment of
Independent Cambodia TribunalNew York, September 15, 1999 – Human Rights First today called on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to accept UN proposals aimed at the establishment of a special, internationally supervised tribunal for the prosecution of crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia. In a letter addressed to Hun Sen ahead of his forthcoming UN visit, the group outlined minimum conditions that must be met if the proposed Cambodia tribunal is to be independent, effective and fair.
"The international community betrayed the Cambodian people over 20 years ago by turning a blind eye to their widespread extermination. It must not do so again by permitting sham trials for those responsible," said Michael Posner, Executive Director of Human Rights First. "We know that the Cambodian legal system is not capable of prosecutions that would meet international legal standards," Posner added. "In order to be credible, the tribunal must be internationally supervised and not subject to the influence of Cambodian authorities".
The United Nations has proposed a tribunal that would be dominated by foreign experts, including a majority of foreign judges and a foreign Prosecutor. The Cambodian authorities want to see a tribunal created under Cambodian law with majority Cambodian participation. Talks between the UN and Cambodian officials on the establishment of the tribunal are expected to resume at UN headquarters next week, when Prime Minister Hun Sen is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly.
In its letter to Hun Sen, Human Rights First emphasized that the judges of the proposed Cambodia tribunal, including the Cambodian contingent, as well as the Prosecutor, should be appointed by the UN. The group believes that the tribunal should be created by a special law approved by the UN and outlined its views on the tribunal’s subject-matter jurisdiction and on the protection of defendants’ rights.