Official rebuffs UN 'weaponised courts' claim

Prisoners arriving in trucks at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in Phnom Penh. - AFP

PHNOM PENH (Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network): Ministry of Justice spokesman Chin Malin rebuffed claims by three United Nations human rights experts who have accused the Cambodian government of using the courts to persecute rights defenders.

The trio of UN experts who made the statements were special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia Vitit Muntarbhorn; special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan; and special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor.