Ieng Sary To Remain in Tribunal Detention

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh17 October 2008
Ieng SaryTribunal judges upheld the pre-trial detention of jailed Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary Friday, saying he could be a flight risk and a danger to witnesses and evidence.
Ieng Sary would remain jailed for his own safety and public order, the prevention of influencing witnesses and destroying evidence, and to ensure his presence at trial, judges of the Pre-Trial Chamber said.
Ieng Sary, 83, was arrested in November 2007 and is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role as the foreign minister of the Khmer Rouge.
Defense lawyer Ang Udom told reporters Friday the decision had been unjust for his client, who suffers from heart problems and high blood pressure and should be held under house arrest or hospitalized.
Hong Kim Suon, a lawyer representing civil parties, called the decision fair according to laws and international standards.
Ieng Sary was sentenced to death in absentia by a Vietnamese-backed court following the collapse of the Khmer Rouge. He defected to the government in 1996, following a royal pardon for that crime.