Sonando Verdict a Tough Test for KRT Legacy
When the international community hammered out a hard-fought deal with the government in 2001 for a war crimes tribunal to try the most senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime, they hoped their efforts would also set an example for local court system riddled with corruption and political influence. … On Monday, five years after proceedings at the tribunal started and over $160 million in funding, independent radio station owner Mam Sonando was jailed for 20 years by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Human rights groups are calling the Sonando case one of the most blatant politically motivated trials in recent years, and countried funding the Khmer Rouge tribunal have also condemned the verdict. … Japan, by far the tribunal’s biggest donor at $76 million, declined to comment on Mr. Sonando’s conviction or what it says about the tribunal’s legacy. …
