The Victims Support Section (VSS) successfully conducted a forum on 24 June 2016 with the participation of Civil Parties, Civil Party Lead Co-Lawyers, Civil Party Lawyers, and representatives of the ECCC, the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, and national and international organizations.
After the opening by H.E. Kranh Tony, Acting Director of the ECCC, and Dr. Ludgera Klemp, Counsellor and Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, Phnom Penh; the forum proceeded with the updates on the current proceedings of the ECCC, and followed by the presentations on reparations in Case 002/01 and Case 002/02 by VSS and Lead Co-Lawyers. Representatives from Legal Document Center, HelpAge Cambodia, and Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center gave presentations on their proposed reparation projects with active and meaningful participation by Civil Parties and their lawyers.
H.E. Kranh said that eleven (11) proposed reparations projects in Case 002/01 were endorsed by the Trial Chamber on 7 August 2014, and most of them were funded and implemented successfully throughout the country. He hoped reparations in Case 002/02 would again move forward in the interests of victims and added that the Royal Government of Cambodia has been supporting the operations of the ECCC and reparations implemented under its legal framework.
Dr. Klemp encouraged participants to actively engage in the discussions on the ECCC’s proceedings and reparations and said that Germany together with other countries have actively supported ECCC’s activities. Germany supported many projects of non-judicial measures and reparations in Case 002/01, including Peace Learning Center in Kraing Tachan of Takeo province, Memorial to the Victims of Democratic Kampuchea at Tuol Sleng Museum, Testimonial Therapy and Self-Help Groups, and Mobile Exhibition on Forced Transfer and Killings at Tuol Po Chrey. Dr. Klemp also mentioned that in addition to previous funding Germany together with Switzerland and UN Women have recently provided more financial support to one of the proposed reparation projects in Case 002/02, Pka Sla Krom Angkar, implemented by a consortium of NGOs.
Civil Parties who joint the forum were satisfied with the discussions and presentations on the proposed reparations projects. They understood that ECCC’s legal framework provided only ‘collective and moral’ reparations, and suggested having effective implementation of the projects.
Civil Party forum is a safe space in which Civil Parties and their legal representatives meet and have discussions on the developments of the ECCC’s judicial proceedings and reparations that benefit themselves as well as the young generation.
Since the beginning of Case 002/02 proceedings, the VSS has conducted 13 forums and coordinated approximately 1,456 Civil Parties to get involved in discussions and presentations.