Heated backlash continues to embroil the court since UN-appointed investigating judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet published a lengthy and detailed note on the “egregious dysfunctions” of the Khmer Rouge tribunal.

The president of the Rules and Procedure Committee yesterday followed the national co-investigating judge and Cambodian judges of the pre-trial chamber in issuing a response to Kasper-Ansermet’s note.

“The committee denies hostility toward Judge Kasper-Ansermet motivated its decision” to reject an amendment to the rules of the court proposed by him, Kong Srim, president of the Rules and Procedure Committee, wrote.

“The committees considered the proposal of Judge Kasper-Ansermet according to the same practice applied to all proposals,” Kong Srim said.

In a reply to the committee’s response, Kasper-Ansermet said the change he was requesting to the rules was to allow for disagreement between co-investigating judges on “communication policy”. 

Upon his arrival at the court, the Swiss national vowed to keep victims and the public well informed of the progress in government-opposed cases 003 and 004.

“The grounds for concern stated by the International Reserve Co-Investigating Judge in his note of 21 March, 2012 remain valid,” Kasper-Ansermet wrote in his reply to Kong Srim.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bridget Di Certo at [email protected]