Phnom Penh, Jan 6 (AFP) A rights group accused Cambodia&aposs government of obstructing a UN-backed tribunal of former Khmer Rouge leaders today, as the country prepared to celebrate 30 years since the fall of the regime.
Cambodia&aposs ruling party is planning large-scale celebrations tomorrow to mark three decades since the day in 1979 when Vietnamese-led forces drove the brutal Khmer Rouge out of the capital.
But New York-based Human Rights Watch said even though war crimes trials of five ex- Khmer Rouge leaders are expected to begin this year, impunity remained in Cambodia while Prime Minister Hun Sen"has done his best to thwart justice".
" After 30 years, no one has been tried, convicted or sentenced for the crimes of one of the bloodiest regimes of the 20th century,"said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement obtained today.
The group called the upcoming Khmer Rouge trials"deeply flawed,"citing allegations of job-selling among court personnel and the fact there are cases against only five suspects.
The court will soon rule whether to broaden investigations after a disagreement between the co-prosecutors on whether to pursue additional Khmer Rouge leaders.
International prosecutor Robert Petit wishes to open more cases against other suspects but his Cambodian counterpart, Chea Leang, does not want more investigations because of the country&aposs"past instability and the continued need for national reconciliation,"said a court statement yesterday.
Petit told AFP that the disagreement shows there is healthy debate within the court and that its mechanisms are working.
But New York-based Human Rights Watch said even though war crimes trials of five ex- Khmer Rouge leaders are expected to begin this year, impunity remained in Cambodia while Prime Minister Hun Sen"has done his best to thwart justice".
" After 30 years, no one has been tried, convicted or sentenced for the crimes of one of the bloodiest regimes of the 20th century,"said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement obtained today.
The group called the upcoming Khmer Rouge trials"deeply flawed,"citing allegations of job-selling among court personnel and the fact there are cases against only five suspects.
The court will soon rule whether to broaden investigations after a disagreement between the co-prosecutors on whether to pursue additional Khmer Rouge leaders.
International prosecutor Robert Petit wishes to open more cases against other suspects but his Cambodian counterpart, Chea Leang, does not want more investigations because of the country&aposs"past instability and the continued need for national reconciliation,"said a court statement yesterday.
Petit told AFP that the disagreement shows there is healthy debate within the court and that its mechanisms are working.
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