Khieu Samphan: Co-Lawyers Assigned

DEFENCE SUPPORT SECTION

PRESS RELEASE





Mr. Khieu Samphan was taken into the custody of the ECCC today. The Defence Support Section has assigned two lawyers selected by Mr. Khieu Samphan from the ECCC List of Lawyers. They are Dr SAY Bory of the Cambodian Bar and Mr Jacques VERGÈS of the Paris Bar.

Dr Say is the most senior member of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and was the first President of the Bar on its creation in 1995. He was a member of the Constitutional Council from 1998 until 2004 when he returned to private practice. He also acts as legal advisor to H.M. King Sihanouk the King Father.

Mr. Jacques Vergès has been a member of the Paris Bar since 1955. In the 1960s he defended a number of cases before French military tribunals arising out of the conflict in Algeria. In 1987 he represented Klaus Barbie before the Lyon cour d’assises on charges of crimes against humanity from of the Second World War. He has represented a number of other high profile clients before domestic and international tribunals.

The Co-Lawyers have been provisionally assigned whilst the Defence Support Section assesses whether Mr Khieu Samphan has sufficient freely available assets to pay for his legal team for the next two years.