French court delays Cambodian 1997 massacre trial verdict

François Zimeray (L) and Jessica Finelle (C), lawyers of Sam Rainsy, arrive at the Paris Assize Court in Paris on Mar. 19, 2025. (AFP)

• The two main suspects, Hing Bun Heang, now 68, and Huy Piseth, 69, have been on trial in absentia
• Several grenades detonated on March 30, 1997 during an opposition rally of around 200 people in Phnom Penh denouncing state corruption

PARIS: A French court trying two ex-bodyguards for former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen over a 1997 massacre postponed its verdict due Friday after prosecutors asked for time to investigate new evidence.
The two main suspects, Hing Bun Heang, now 68, and Huy Piseth, 69, have been on trial in absentia, charged over a 1997 grenade attack on a leading opposition figure who is a French citizen.
Several grenades detonated on March 30, 1997 during an opposition rally of around 200 people in Phnom Penh denouncing state corruption.
At least 16 people were killed and 150 injured.
Sam Rainsy, a former finance minister and leading opposition figure, was the target of the attack that the NGO Human Rights Watch has called “an open wound in Cambodia.” He was lightly injured.
The two suspects reside in Cambodia. Neither has asked for legal representation.
“I have learnt much from witnesses who had never been questioned before,” said lead prosecutor Isabelle Poinso. “We need to shine a light on some remaining grey areas.”
The court approved her request to suspend proceedings, to resume at a later date.
As the trial got under way in Paris on Wednesday, the defendants’ box was empty as was the bench for the defense lawyers. But Rainsy and his wife were both present.
In 2020 France issued an arrest warrant for both men on suspicion of attempted murder, for which they could be sentenced to life in prison.
Rainsy, 76, who lives in exile in France and has had French citizenship since 1974, in November 2000 filed a legal complaint over the incident, triggering the investigation.
Two decades later, the French judiciary came to the conclusion — backed by findings from the United States’ FBI and the United Nations, among others — that Hing Bun Heang had recruited the attackers, and that Huy Piseth had facilitated their escape.
Hun Sen, a former army general who was Cambodia’s longest-serving head of government, first became prime minister in 1985 aged 32.
He currently serves as president of Cambodia’s Senate.