Teams conflict on Case 004/01
IN A split with their international counterparts, the Cambodian half of the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s prosecution team yesterday announced they believe former highranking cadre Im Chaem should not be prosecuted for crimes against humanity, illustrating a long-standing division in the court’s approach to further cases.
The split was made evident in a statement released yesterday in which prosecutors announced they had made their final submissions to the co-investigating judges on October 27 and offered summaries of their findings in Chaem’s case, known as Case 004/01.
In the statement, the national prosecutor argued Chaem should not be prosecuted, saying she was “neither a ‘senior leader’ of the Democratic Kampuchea regime nor among those ‘most responsible’ for the crimes committed”, and therefore outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The international prosecutor, however, begged to differ, arguing that while Chaem was not a high-ranking member of the Khmer Rouge inner circle or a zone leader, her leadership positions at the district level still meant she was one of those “most responsible” for crimes committed under the regime.
“Im Chaem held positions of responsibility that enabled her to make a significant contribution to crimes committed in areas where she exercised authority,” the international co-prosecutor’s submissions read.
Chaem, it continues, was CONTINUED
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