An international judge has resigned from the UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal, citing political interference by Cambodia's government after he tried to investigate more suspects.
Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet, the Swiss co-investigator, whose predecessor Siegfried Blunk quit for similar reasons in October, said he had been constantly undermined by his Cambodian counterpart, You Bunleng.
"The situation is completely blocked," Kasper-Ansermet told AFP.
In a statement released by the court, Kasper-Ansermet said that "You Bunleng's active opposition to investigations into cases 003 and 004 has led to a dysfunctional situation".
"Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet considers that the present circumstances no longer allow him to properly and freely perform his duties," the statement said.
The judge will stay in his role until May 4. It is unclear whether the UN has a replacement ready, but observers said any future judge would likely face similar difficulties.
"I'm surprised by the resignation but I'm not surprised at what has led to it," said tribunal monitor Clair Duffy from the Open Society Justice Initiative.
"The UN and donors have to address the heart of the problem: that the Cambodian government is trying to control who this court investigates and prosecutes."
Blunk quit the court, blaming government interference in two potential new cases, in which five mid-level Khmer Rouge members face a string of allegations including mass killings and forced labour during the regime's 1975-1979 reign of terror.
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