Sam Rainsy Participates in Rome Assembly of Parliamentarians

CALD Chair and Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) President Sam Rainsy participated in the 7th Session of the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the International Criminal Court and the Rule of Law (CAP-ICC) in Rome, Italy on 10-11 December 2012. CAP-ICC is the only global gathering of legislators focused solely on the International Criminal Court and on the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern.

Mr. Sam was registered to attend the event as CALD Chair. His presence, however, did not sit well with the official Cambodian delegation led by parliamentarian Chheang Vun, who protested the attendance of Mr. Sam on grounds that he was not part of the official delegation. When it became clear that the protest would remain unheeded, the Cambodian delegation walked out and boycotted the entire Assembly. The Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and the other hosts did not stop the delegation from leaving. For this reason, Mr. Sam, together with another opposition parliamentarian Tioulong Saumura, became the only Cambodian parliamentarians present in the 7th CAP-ICC session.

“As observers we heard various opinions expressed by parliamentarians from all over the world regarding international justice,” said Sam Rainsy. “An interesting view relates to economic crimes represented by systemic corruption, deforestation and pillaging that cause heavy human costs comparable to those of crimes against humanity and that could one day be exposed before the ICC.”

CAP-ICC is a project of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), a network of more than 1300 parliamentarians from 135 countries around the world who commit to use their legislative and political prerogatives for the solution of global problems.