Gov’t dismisses judicial reform concerns
Human Rights Watch says three draft laws on the verge of approval by the National Assembly, intended to assure the independence of Cambodia’s courts, would do just the opposite, and has called on the government to withdraw them. The Council of Ministers approved the trio of “fundamental laws”—on the Organization and Conduct of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, on the Statue of the Magistracy, and on the Organization of Court Organs—and sent them to the National Assembly last month. The U.N. and Cambodia’s foreign donors have been urging the government to pass the laws for many years. But the latest drafts have raised concerns that they would only strengthen Prime Minister Hun Sen’s already tight grip on the courts, which are regularly accused of rampant corruption, political interference and handing down fixed decisions. …
Zsombor Peter and Hul Reaksmey
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/govt-dismisses-judicial-reform-concerns-58023/
