As part of his official visit to Cambodia, Mr. Jeremy Browne, Minister of State in the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visited the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on 3 July 2012 to gain insights about the court’s achievements and challenges. Mr. Browne met with representatives of the Administration of the ECCC as well as with an international judge of the Trial Chamber and both national and international Co-Prosecutors to get informed of the latest developments and challenges that the court is facing, including the budget shortage.
Mr. Browne also met with six Civil Parties of Cases 001 and 002 and listened to their perceptions about their participation in the ECCC’s proceedings and the psychological support they received after the conclusion of Case 001. All of them pointed out the importance of having senior Khmer Rouge leaders prosecuted. They recalled how they were excited about the establishment of the Khmer Rouge tribunal as they did not originally expect such a court to be created. The Civil Parties conveyed their gratitude towards the United Kingdom for its engagement in the process of the ECCC through both their moral and financial support, which helps the court to move forward.
In response, Mr. Browne stated that he hoped the proceedings before the ECCC would help ameliorate Cambodian victims’ psychological suffering and foster the national reconciliation process in Cambodia. He told the victims that he appreciated their courage to participate in the proceedings and recount their suffering from the past. Mr. Browne also wished that the process of the ECCC would reveal truth about the history of the Khmer Rouge. Following the meeting with the Civil Parties, Mr. Browne met with Judge Silvia Cartwright of the Trial Chamber and Co-Prosecutors Chea Leang and Andrew Cayley.
The ECCC has so far received nearly USD 7 million in financial donations from the United Kingdom. Mr. Browne’s visit to the court demonstrates the United Kingdom’s continued support and commitment to the ECCC’s mission to seek justice for the Cambodian people for crimes committed during the Democratic Kampuchea regime, during which nearly 2 million Cambodians lost their lives.
In Case 001, which ended in early 2012, the Supreme Court Chamber upheld the conviction of Kaing Guek Eav, former chief of security prison S-21, for crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The trial in Case 002 involving the three Accused, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, and Khieu Samphan, which is considered one of the most complicate and significant trials, is now ongoing. It is expected that the proceedings will help find the truth about what happened during the Democratic Kampuchea regime.