Phnom Penh - Judges at Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal on Tuesday said lawyers of a former Khmer Rouge leader faced "sanctions for a new offence" unless they removed confidential court documents from a website.

A statement released by the court said judges had told lawyers for former head-of-state Ieng Sary that they must remove all legal documents from the website, other than those available on the tribunal's own website.

Lawyers were ordered to remove confidential documents already on the independent website within 48 hours, or else they will "force sanctions for a new offence," the statement said.

Ieng Sary, 83, is one of five former Khmer Rouge leaders facing trial for their roles in the deaths of up to 2 million people through execution, starvation or overwork during the ultra-Maoist group's 1975-1979 reign.

His lawyers have previously stated that judges' refusal to make a range of legal documents public has undermined the court's transparency. (dpa)