Public Affairs Section

The Public Affairs Section has  combination of National and International staff working as one.  

The Public Affairs Section of the ECCC is the external face of the ECCC and works to support and coordinate the public representation of all Organs of the ECCC, including the judicial chambers, prosecution and defence. 

The ECCC has a policy of reaching out actively to the community, the media, the diplomatic corps, donors, researchers and other interested parties. Our objective is to provide as much information as possible on the activity of the Court, working transparently to build public confidence in the judicial process. This objective needs to be balanced with respect for privacy, confidentiality and the rights of all parties in the proceedings including witnesses and victims, concerns for fair trial, due process and the presumption of innocence. 

The Public Affairs Section has the following main activities :

Outreach and public information

The Outreach Program aims to inform Cambodians throughout the country about the work of the Court generally, and the trial process in particular, to facilitate their understanding and involvement, and to foster their support for this work, in the context of Cambodia’s limited communications infrastructure and low levels of literacy. 

We reach out to the people by means of publications, forums around the country (which take information about the Court to the heart of the community), radio and television programmes, the ECCC web site, and by active participation in seminars and conferences. 

In addition to mounting our own activities, we work in partnership with other organisations to amplify the message of the ECCC. We cooperate with Cambodian and international NGOs as well as national, provincial and local structures of government, particularly in disseminating a wide range of materials including charts, posters, other reading material and videos, and in radio and television programs. 

Media relations

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia aims to provide information on its activities to representatives of print and electronic media, both within Cambodia and internationally, on a timely basis as required. 

The ECCC web site contains a range of background documents, photographs, biographies and other background information for the media as well as the general public. See especially the Photo/video Galleries and Legal Documents pages on the web site. All this information is provided free of charge and with permission for re-use, with acknowledgement of the source. More specific information and fact sheets may be obtained on request from the Public Affairs Section. In the future, we plan to produce audio and video clips for media re-use, public service announcements, and video and audio summaries of courtroom activities about the Court for radio and television broadcast. 

Press releases and statements are circulated by email to all those who register with us, and they are also posted on our web site (Press Releases). Arrangements can be made for media interviews with judicial officers and staff in the Office of Administration as appropriate, by request to the Public Affairs Section. 

Accreditation

Permanent accreditation to the ECCC can be arranged for journalists based in Cambodia, or those visiting on a regular basis. Media representatives visiting the ECCC on an occasional media are requested to contact the Public Affairs Section in advance for temporary accreditation. To receive permanent or temporary accreditation, both of which are free of charge, we request journalists to fill out a Media Accreditation Form; to provide a valid press card or letter of introduction from the Editor of their media organisation; and in the case of international journalists, to provide a copy of their passport and visa. For more information, see information for media. 

Audio and video records of proceedings

All court proceedings of the ECCC will be recorded for judicial and archival purposes. Audio and video feeds of court proceedings will be made available for public broadcast, after a delay to enable editing to comply with any protective measures or other judicial orders. In addition, we plan to make available edited video and audio summaries of the court proceedings and other activities of the organs of the ECCC.

 

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