UN rights envoy arrives to evaluate Cambodian judiciary

Jun 8, 2010, 8:10 GMT

Phnom Penh - The United Nations' human rights envoy to Cambodia began a 10-day visit Tuesday to assess its judicial system.

Britain-based law professor Surya Subedi said the focus of his third trip chimed with a larger goal.

'(This is) part of my ongoing assessment of institutions critical to the promotion and protection of human rights, with a view to assessing the extent to which it is accessible to ordinary Cambodians and delivers justice,' he said.

He is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen and other government officials.

Subedi's visit follows last week's meeting where donors pledged a record 1.1 billion dollars to the impoverished South-East Asian nation to help it meet development targets.

Judicial reform of the weak court system is one key target, with reports showing that Cambodians consider the judiciary to be the most corrupt institution.

But the judiciary also struggles in other areas too, as a study released this week found.

The report by the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation, a local non-governmental organization, said defendants are regularly denied basic rights including the right to defence counsel and the right to cross-examine those testifying against them.

Subedi is mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to report on Cambodia.

His predecessor, Kenyan lawyer Yash Ghai, had a rocky relationship with Phnom Penh and quit the post in late 2008.

In 2006, Yash Ghai said the government was 'not very committed to human rights.' Hun Sen later called him 'deranged' for saying power was too centralized with the prime minister.