Friday, 6 March 2009

Khmer Rouge-related files removed from website

(File Photo) Picture shows former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary (L) in a court room in Phnom Penh on October 17, 2008.

PRESS TV

Thu, 05 Mar 2009

Lawyers of a former Cambodian leader in a UN-backed war crimes trial have deleted confidential files posted online after receiving a warning.

The Thursday move comes two days after judges warned the defense team of former foreign minister Ieng Sary that failing to remove the 'confidential documents' from their website within 48 hours would have legal consequences including sanctions and breach of confidentiality.

The online files documented an appeal for a psychiatric evaluation of 83-year-old Sary and two filings that questioned the legitimacy of the investigation, hinting at possible conflicts.

Sary is one of five detained ex-leaders of the late 1970s Khmer Rouge regime charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The lawyers also posted a signed statement that they would not allow future "attempts, deliberate or inadvertent" to limit their right to speak out publicly.

Up to two million people were executed or perished of starvation under the communist regime.

Prison chief, Kaing Guek Eav, was the first of the five to face trial since the much awaited Khmer Rouge proceedings began last month.

ZHD/MMN

No comments: