Phnom Penh - Lawyers were Tuesday invited to submit their
names to represent a handful of former Khmer Rouge cadre expected to
be tried before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
(ECCC), the media section of the court said in a statement.
The 56-million dollar joint UN-Cambodia tribunal is hoped to get
underway later this year, although whom it will try has not yet been
decided.
The Defence Support Section (DSS) of the ECCC said the list was
open to both Cambodian and international lawyers who may be selected
by clients to defend cases before the ECCC.
'We expect lawyers from all over the world to apply to be included
in the list,' the statement quoted DSS head Rubert Skilbeck as
saying.
'We have already had a great deal of interest from lawyers in
Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the
UK and the US. I am confident that we will be able to build strong
defence teams for everyone brought before the court in order to
ensure fair trials.'
The statement said accused persons before the ECCC may be
represented by co-lawyers - one Cambodian and one foreign.
Both Cambodian and foreign co-lawyers have to demonstrate
established competence in criminal law and procedure at a national or
international level. Foreign co-lawyers will also have to possess 10
years of relevant experience, the statement said.
Foreign lawyers will also have to pay a fee of 500 dollars after a
decision by the Bar Council of the Kingdom of Cambodia earlier this
year. Lawyers can submit their applications via the ECCC website.
The statement said co-lawyers will be assisted by a defence team
made up of legal consultants and case managers. The DSS also
announced applications were open for these positions as of Tuesday.
The ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge's 1975-79 Democratic Kampuchea regime
is held responsible for the deaths of up to 2 million Cambodians in
its drive to turn the country into an agrarian utopia, free of
markets, money and social classes.
Its leader, Pol Pot, died without facing justice in 1998. Most
surviving leaders are elderly and many claim to be in frail health.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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