Handbook for judges tackling wildlife trafficking cases


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

As many as 120 judges and prosecutors from 25 provincial and municipal courts across the country yesterday attended a consultation workshop on ‘Developing guidelines for resolving wildlife trafficking cases’ as part of the efforts to reduce and combat wildlife trafficking in the Kingdom. 

The workshop was co-organised by the Ministry of Justice and the Wildlife Conservation Society [WCS] and funded by the INL Fund USA at the Cambodiana Hotel in Phnom Penh. 

Khieu Sophany, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Justice, said that the Ministry will compile a handbook to support judges and prosecutors to handle wildlife trafficking cases. 

The main purpose of the workshop was to gather additional opinions, knowledge, and successful experiences from the judges and prosecutors to draft comprehensive guidelines in handling the wildlife trafficking cases. 

Sophanny said that the guidelines discussed in the workshop will help the judges and prosecutors handle wildlife trafficking cases, which was included in the criminal justice system recently. 

She said that the handbook focuses on investigations, prosecutions and convictions in wildlife trafficking cases, including the active role of prosecutors in coordinating the investigation and taking the help of wildlife experts. 

WCS’s Country Director Dr Ken Serey Ratha told Khmer Times that the judge and prosecutors play main roles in preventing the wildlife trafficking in Cambodia because they are the persons who arrest, prosecute or punish the wildlife traffickers or offenders. 

He said that the wildlife trafficking training will increase their daily working skills and knowledge and additionally they will also get to know about both local and the international laws or the international treaty related with the wildlife trafficking cases. 

He added that currently, the wildlife trafficking or rare animal specimens [from Cambodia to abroad or from abroad to Cambodia] had been reduced but eating wildlife animals in the restaurants or shops in provinces or cities are increasing.


 


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