Khmer Rouge cry 'meddling' | Bangkok Post: breakingnews

PHNOM PENH : Defence lawyers for a top Khmer Rouge leader accused of genocide asked a Phnom Penh court Monday to probe allegations of government interference at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes tribunal.

"Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea's international counsel said they filed a criminal complaint in Phnom Penh Municipal Court against Prime Minister Hun Sen and 10 other officials for interfering in the high-profile case."We are asking the deputy prosecutor to investigate the obstruction of justice in (this case)," Dutch lawyer Michiel Pestman told AFP."We want to make clear to everyone that what's going on is not only unacceptable, it's a crime even under Cambodian law."The move comes as the tribunal is mired in controversy after a judge stepped down on October 9 saying political opposition to possible new cases linked to the 1975-79 regime effectively made his position untenable.It was the first time a high-ranking court official publicly spoke out against long-standing allegations of political meddling at the court.Phnom Penh has strongly denied interfering with the tribunal.The shock resignation of German judge Siegfried Blunk prompted the UN to send top legal chief Patricia O'Brien to Phnom Penh last week, who urged the Cambodian government to "refrain from interfering in any way whatsoever with the judicial...