The Victims Support Section (VSS) of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) held its 10th Regional Forum for the 300 Civil Parties recently admitted in Case 002. The Civil Parties are from Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kampong Speu, and Takeo provinces. The Forum was organized at the Tea Suyheng Restaurant in Chba Morn Town, Kampong Speu Province, on Friday, October 28.
The 300 Civil Parties who participated in this regional forum are part of the group of 1,745 Civil Parties admmitted by the Pre-Trial Chamber from 24 of June 2011 onwards. The total number of Civil Parties in Case 002 is currently 3,867.
The Regional Forum is one of the ways through which the VSS implements its project on wider Victims’ Improved Participation in the Proceedings of ECCC 2011 and empowers Civil Parties in judical proceedings in Case 002. The purpose of the Regional Forum is to promote victims’ participation by providing a safe venue for dialogue for Civil Parties from the provinces and:
- To meet Civil Party Lawyers to discuss their rights at the trial stage and to generate ideas from Civil Parties on collective reparations in order to formulate their civil claim.
- To meet officials from various offices of the ECCC and civil society representatives in order to learn about recent progress of the ECCC.
- To meet Civil Parties from Case 001 in order to learn about their experiences for a better involvement in Case 002.