Justice Kim graduated from Lumière University Lyon 2 with a bachelor of civil law, completing her judicial training at the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature in Bordeaux (France) from 1993 to 1995.
[4] Kim Sathavy has been accused of upholding decisions made against opponents of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.[5] While she was being accused of “make a ruling based on professionalism and not be politically influenced,” she dismissed this statement by reminding the court that the hearing was not about the facts of the case, but about the defendant's reasons for demanding bail.
[6] Kim Sathavy also upheld a upheld a lower court ruling to fine the acting president of the country's now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Sam Rainsy for defamation in connection with a lawsuit brought against him by Prime Minister Hun Sen.[7] However, Kim Sathavy has also taken decisions clearing opposing policies of the executive branch, for example ruling that there were flaws in the trial of Rath Rott Mony in June 2019 and ordered the Appeal Court to conduct another trial to relitigate the case.
[11] Kim Sathavy accompanied the joint efforts of the Ministry of Justice and French criminal lawyers in the drafting of the Cambodian Code of Criminal Law, Kim Sathavy played a key role in the promotion in Cambodia of the civil law tradition inherited from France.
[12] Although the extent of what remains to be done can make one dizzy and often the path we must follow seems more like a dead end than a highway, we must also congratulate ourselves on the steps that have already been taking.Kim Sathavy was the first Cambodian woman to become a magistrate.