April 25, 2000
April 25, 2000
Contact HRF Communications (212) 845 5245 media@humanrightsfirst.orgHuman Rights First Urges UN
Secretary-General to Ensure Legitimate CambodiaTribunalCompromise on Four Proposed Preconditions Could Undermine Credibility of UN
New York, April 25, 2000 – Human Rights First yesterday called on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to ensure the fairness of any UN-endorsed tribunal for the prosecution of crimes committed in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge.
"Compromising international standards for a fair trial in UN-sponsored Khmer Rouge trials will both betray the Cambodian people and undermine the UN as a neutral standard-bearer," said Mike Posner, Executive Director of Human Rights First. "Political tenacity cannot be rewarded by the dilution of fundamental principles," added Posner.
The UN is under increasing pressure to agree to the establishment of a Khmer Rouge tribunal, in spite of strong indications that the Cambodian legal system is unable to produce fair, independent and effective trials.
On February 8, Annan proposed four minimum preconditions for UN involvement in a tribunal. The Cambodian government has not so far agreed to any of these preconditions. In a letter to Annan, Human Rights First emphasized that compromise on those preconditions could undermine the credibility of both the UN and the newly emerging system of accountability for international crimes.