The tribunal is supposed to investigate suspects with direct responsibility for serious crimes during the Khmer Rouge era. Critics say this mandate has been undermined by Hun's repeated demands for the tribunal to limit its work to the current suspects. Case 003 involves two military commanders accused of mass killings, according to leaked court documents.
Human rights groups have singled out a German investigating judge, Siegfried Blunk, and his Cambodian counterpart, You Bunleng, for failing to follow proper procedures. The judges have rejected the allegations and issued a statement last month that said they were "resolved to defend their independence against outside inference, wherever it may come from."
The Open Society Justice Initiative, a United States-based organization, has called on the UN to investigate alleged ECCC misconduct. In a statement, its executive director, James Goldston, said the tribunal was designed to bring accountability for past crimes and help Cambodia to establish the rule of law.
"In apparently bowing to political pressure, the court undermines both goals. An independent investigation is urgently needed," he said.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has denied that the UN had interfered in the process. In a June 14 statement, the spokesman insisted that the ECCC judges must be allowed to work independently.
