Thursday, 11 November 2010By Chhay Channyda
Phnom Penh Post
Phnom Penh Post
Photo by: James O'Toole
A prisoner carries water in June at Pusat province’s correctional center 4.
Cambodia came before the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva on Wednesday, where a government delegation defended itself against claims from rights groups that the use of torture continued to be widespread in the country’s prison system.
The two-day hearing assessed Cambodia’s adherence to the UN Convention Against Torture, which it signed and ratified in 1992.
But a report compiled by local rights groups and submitted to the committee painted a dire picture of Cambodia’s adherence to CAT, documenting 108 cases of torture in police custody in 2009.
“The situation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in Cambodia is still of concern,” the rights groups said in a joint statement. “The country’s legal and judicial system is unable to effectively prevent and punish acts of torture.”
In presenting a Cambodian report to the committee, Sun Suon, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN, defended the country’s progress on implementing the CAT provisions, saying “important steps” had been taken towards strengthening the Kingdom’s legal and institutional framework.
The recent adoption of a new Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code would both lead to positive impacts in the fight against torture and other forms of ill-treatment, he added.
Sun Suon said the government gave “unfettered access” to the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, which paid a surprise visit to the country in December 2009, and “demonstrated an exemplary openness to the discussion of its findings”.
An undefined crime
Although torture is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under the Kingdom’s new penal code, “torture” has no clear definition, which rights groups say complicates the prosecution of the crime.
In its report to the committee, the government claimed that such a definition was not necessary because Cambodia “abides by the principles of international conventions”.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O’TOOLE...read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours.
A prisoner carries water in June at Pusat province’s correctional center 4.
Cambodia came before the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva on Wednesday, where a government delegation defended itself against claims from rights groups that the use of torture continued to be widespread in the country’s prison system.
The two-day hearing assessed Cambodia’s adherence to the UN Convention Against Torture, which it signed and ratified in 1992.
But a report compiled by local rights groups and submitted to the committee painted a dire picture of Cambodia’s adherence to CAT, documenting 108 cases of torture in police custody in 2009.
“The situation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in Cambodia is still of concern,” the rights groups said in a joint statement. “The country’s legal and judicial system is unable to effectively prevent and punish acts of torture.”
In presenting a Cambodian report to the committee, Sun Suon, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN, defended the country’s progress on implementing the CAT provisions, saying “important steps” had been taken towards strengthening the Kingdom’s legal and institutional framework.
The recent adoption of a new Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code would both lead to positive impacts in the fight against torture and other forms of ill-treatment, he added.
Sun Suon said the government gave “unfettered access” to the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, which paid a surprise visit to the country in December 2009, and “demonstrated an exemplary openness to the discussion of its findings”.
An undefined crime
Although torture is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under the Kingdom’s new penal code, “torture” has no clear definition, which rights groups say complicates the prosecution of the crime.
In its report to the committee, the government claimed that such a definition was not necessary because Cambodia “abides by the principles of international conventions”.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O’TOOLE...read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours.
1 comment:
When these criminals killed, rape, robbed people they don't care? I urge authority lock them up for a long long time and punish...
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