CONFIDENTIALITY and Theary C. Seng's naming names

"Frustrated with the lack of transparency at the court, another regime survivor took the unusual step of publicly naming all five suspects in a press release on Thursday. The move puts author and human rights activist Theary Seng at risk of being in contempt of court, legal experts said."

Khmer Rouge victims urge transparency from court

2. CONFIDENTIALITY

The names I mentioned have already been widely circulated and it is ridiculous to say that I am revealing “confidential” information. It is not confidential, I did not get access to it as a result of being a party to the court proceeding, and I am under no obligation to keep silent about who I think is responsible for a crime.

In this light, the ECCC is deliberately hiding behind the all-encompassing, impenetrable veil of confidentiality and imperialistically abusing its power of transparency and accountability. The Office of Co-Investigating Judges (CIJs) has been sitting idly on Cases 003/004 for the last 19 months (!) with no meaningful activity.

For the last seven months since the Closing Order of Case 002, its 40-member staff have been collecting salaries in the conservative range of US$250,000 per month for doing absolutely nothing, as the investigations of Cases 001 and 002 are completed and there is no discernable activity for Cases 003/004. The stalling from overt political interference has been so outrageous, sustained and deep that one can hear the CIJs snoring under their cloak of secrecy against the backdrop of the deafening silence of the donor community.

By attempting to shut me up, the ECCC is furthering its abuse of the rights of victims and covering up its failure to follow the law and investigate Cases 003/004 with integrity.

- Theary C. Seng, civil party applicant to cases 003 and 004