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Cambodia genocide court to encourage victims to come forward

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A spokesperson for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) announced Tuesday a large-scale media campaign to encourage more victims to come forward and participate in the trial of Khmer Rouge leader Kaing Guek-Eav, better known as "Duch." The trial is set to begin February 17. Announcements will be made in newspapers, on the radio, and perhaps on television, and victims will have until February 2 to come forward. Duch faces charges of murder and torture in addition to charges of crimes against humanity and violations of the Geneva Conventions. Duch is best known for running the Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison camp in Phnom Penh in the late 1970s after the Khmer Rouge took over. Out of an estimated 17,000 people imprisoned at Tuol Sleng, there are only twelve known survivors. The ECCC plans to try as many as eight suspects for their roles in the Khmer Rouge regime, which is generally held responsible for the genocide of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979. Earlier this month, Japan announced that it would give an additional $21 million to the ECCC following an announcement by the court that it plans to complete operations a year early because of limited funding. In February, a Cambodian genocide survivor testified against Nuon Chea at a pretrial hearing, marking the first time a victim has taken the stand against a former Khmer Rouge official.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 20, 2009 (boomark / email).