Japan should urge the Cambodian government to fully cooperate with the United Nations in establishing a tribunal to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge for crimes committed from 1975-79, Human Rights Watch said today. The international human rights monitoring group also urged Prime Minister Obuchi to press for judicial reforms and prosecutions of serious abuses committed by Cambodian security forces since 1993.
Japan is Cambodia's single largest bilateral aid donor.
We hope the prime minister will emphasize that any tribunal for the Khmer Rouge will have no credibility without the full support of the United Nations. We hope the prime minister will emphasize that any tribunal for the Khmer Rouge will have no credibility without the full support of the United Nations. Human Rights Watch urged Japan to withhold endorsement of any tribunal based on the draft tribunal law that Cambodia has submitted to the U.N., and to refrain from offering any technical, legal or funding assistance, until the U.N. determines that indictments and trials will fully meet international standards of fairness and impartiality. Tokyo hosted the annual World Bank-convened meeting of Cambodian donors last February, at which Prime Minister Hun Sen made commitments to key economic, social, and institutional reforms necessary for Cambodia's recovery from years of conflict. However, beyond some cosmetic measures, the donors have failed to secure from Hun Sen any meaningful or substantive judicial or legal reforms.