Jailed Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary did not attend questioning by judges earlier this month because he was not ready, his lawyer said Tuesday.
Ieng Sary was “invited to questioning” Jan. 10 but did not go, lawyer Ang Udom, said.
“We asked to delay…and the court also accepted our request, as we have not yet studied completely enough to be able to answer the courts,” Ang Udom said.
Ieng Sary, 82, was arrested in Phnom Penh in November and charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by the special tribunal courts, despite an amnesty deal in 1998, when he defected to the government with a mass of rebel troops.
Ang Udom said he needed time to study a large number of documents pertaining to Ieng Sary’s case.
Tribunal officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Under tribunal law, a defendant has the right to remain silent until a hearing.
