Phnom Penh - Lawyers defending 32 people, including three Americans, accused of involvement in a failed coup against the Cambodian government staged a dramatic walkout yesterday in protest at the court's alleged bias.
Twelve of the 15 defence lawyers walked out of the court shortly after the start of the high-profile trial in Phnom Penh, which was surrounded by tight security. "I have decided to boycott this hearing because it is not open to the public," defence lawyer Mr Chum Sophea said as he left the court. The three US citizens, two of whom are being tried in absentia, are the self-confessed leaders of a group known as the Cambodian Freedom Fighters (CFF) which claimed responsibility for a November 24th attack on government buildings in which at least eight people were killed and 14 injured.