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Berta Caceres murder trial delayed after judges accused of abusing authority
Source: The Guardian
Berta Cáceres murder trial delayed after judges accused of abusing authority
Application argued decisions and omissions by judges during pre-trial hearings violated due process and demonstrated bias
Nina Lakhani in Tegucigalpa
Mon 17 Sep 2018 23.04 BST
The long-awaited trial into one of Central America’s most notorious murders has been thrown into disarray after the judges were formally accused of abuse of authority and a cover-up.
The opening of the trial of eight men charged over the murder of indigenous leader Berta Cáceres was postponed after lawyers representing her family requested that the three judges be recused and replaced.
-snip-
Today’s application argued that a series of decisions and omissions by the judges during pre-trial hearings violated due process and demonstrated bias against the victims.
The application alleges that the judges’ showed a disregard for the rule of law by refusing to sanction the public prosecutor’s office for ignoring court orders to share evidence with the family’s legal team.
In addition, five injunctions submitted last week must also be resolved by the appeals court. In one, the family’s lawyers contest the “arbitrary decision” by the judges to reject witnesses, experts and documentary evidence linking the murder to a wider criminal conspiracy.
-snip-
Application argued decisions and omissions by judges during pre-trial hearings violated due process and demonstrated bias
Nina Lakhani in Tegucigalpa
Mon 17 Sep 2018 23.04 BST
The long-awaited trial into one of Central America’s most notorious murders has been thrown into disarray after the judges were formally accused of abuse of authority and a cover-up.
The opening of the trial of eight men charged over the murder of indigenous leader Berta Cáceres was postponed after lawyers representing her family requested that the three judges be recused and replaced.
-snip-
Today’s application argued that a series of decisions and omissions by the judges during pre-trial hearings violated due process and demonstrated bias against the victims.
The application alleges that the judges’ showed a disregard for the rule of law by refusing to sanction the public prosecutor’s office for ignoring court orders to share evidence with the family’s legal team.
In addition, five injunctions submitted last week must also be resolved by the appeals court. In one, the family’s lawyers contest the “arbitrary decision” by the judges to reject witnesses, experts and documentary evidence linking the murder to a wider criminal conspiracy.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/17/berta-caceres-trial-postponed-judges-accused
