The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), which comprises 18 NGOs wishes to call on the Royal Government, the National Assembly and the Senate to comply with the remarks by the Constitutional Council on the Law on the creation of an extraordinary chamber for the trial of Khmer Rouge leaders, and amend it accordingly and adopt this amendment without further delay. CHRAC would like to request the Royal Government to incorporate in the amendment those provisions of the agreement on the Khmer Rouge Trial reached between the Royal Government and the United Nations that had been left out in the original draft of that law.

CHRAC also wishes to appeal to the international community to use its influence to push for these amendments and the incorporation of those provisions, and for the creation of that extraordinary chamber as soon as possible.

As the National Assembly and the Senate had speedily passed that law at the beginning of this year, there should not be any prolonged delay in its amendment and in the adoption of this amendment.

It should be borne in mind that those Khmer Rouge leaders already have advanced ages.

CHRAC ands others who wish to have the Khmer Rouge brought to justice and tried very much fear that they might die before being tried and such a long-awaited trial might not take place at all.

If the Royal Government has set out to make preparations for that trial and the Cambodian people as well as the international community are very much expecting it, if it turned out to be no such a trial because of prolonged delay, the entire Cambodian Nation would badly lose its face in the world, and truth and justice could not be found for the victims of the Khmer Rouge crimes. The Cambodian Nation could not then address its past and this past would continue to haunt and prevent it from concentrating on its future.

For more information, please contact:
▪ -Mr. Chev Kim Ieng, Tel: 012 803 174
▪ -Dr. Lao Mong Hay, Executive Director of Kid

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