Mr. Motoo

More and more of the Judges are appearing in the press as the profile of the tribunal continues to grow internationally. This time it is the Japanese judge Motoo Noguchi in a softball interview published on Nov 3 in the Yale Herald. Some highlights;

....Yale Herald: How will you be an objective judge in this scenario in light of the tragedies that occurred?

Motoo Noguchi: Judges have to always be impartial. Our job is to evaluate the evidence, find the facts and apply the law, however heinous the crimes are. But for the people of Cambodia, it may be different. It’s difficult to find a Cambodian who hasn’t been affected in anyway by the atrocities committed over these four years. Everyone has had someone killed, whether it’s their parents or relatives or friends. Every Cambodian has his own personal sad memory on this era.

YH: So being a foreigner is an asset?

MN: In terms of procedure, the court sometimes may need to be guided by the international standards on due process or human rights. In that context, judges also need to have a good and knowledge of international justice.

YH: What sets apart the Khmer Rouge trial from others like it?

MN: This is taking place in the Cambodian national court, not what is generally called the international criminal tribunals. This Cambodian tribunal, on the other hand, is a national court that is assisted by the UN and the international community, unlike the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda that are part of the United Nations organism and established by a Security Council resolution....

His comment about how everyone in Cambodia was affected in some way by the Khmer Rouge may come into play should the Defence decide to challenge the impartiality of the Cambodian judges. But this is pretty much a feel good interview about the good work of Japan.