Following the failure of the court to produce enough evidence, the presiding judge Hing Thirith decided to drop charges against two suspects in murder case involving a popular union leader, Chea Vichea, last January.
Two leading Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and the Cambodian Watchdog Council, issued statements in support of the judge's decision, saying that their own independent and careful investigation yielded the same conclusion.
In criticising the court that the arrest of the two suspects was politically-motivated, the two NGOs expressed concern for the job security and personal safety of judge Thirith for his decision on this case.