ECCC, Case 001, Issue 6

Case 001/ ECCC

Cambodia

English

After a two-week break, the Tribunal resumed its proceedings this week, hearing evidence from expert witness Craig Etcheson on the hierarchy of Democratic Kampuchea. Etcheson is the first expert witness to be called by the Chamber since proceedings began in March of this year. Proceedings were increasingly dominated by procedural arguments as the week continued, causing lengthy deliberations, adjournments and finally, a Trial Management Meeting called unexpectedly on Thursday morning. Tensions emerging between the Prosecution and the Defense showed worrying signs that the KRT’s seemingly least contentious trial – in which the Accused has already admitted to many of the charges he faces – will prove difficult to complete in a timely manner.

The key procedural issue discussed this week was the manner in which documents could be put to the Chamber. The Court’s Internal Rules require that documents the Parties wish the Chamber to consider are expressly put before it, either through summaries or by being entered on the record at trial. When he did give testimony, Etcheson appeared a calm and eloquent witness, answering questions in an extremely measured tone and clearly aware of the need to slow down to facilitate accurate translation. The witness corroborated the Accused’s testimony in certain respects, particularly with regard to Duch’s understanding of hierarchical authority within Democratic Kampuchea (‘DK’).