Trial Monitoring

ECCC, Case 002/02, Issue 14

March 26, 2015
ECCC, Case 002/02, Issue 14
Publication Documents
Case or Series

Case 002/02

Case or Series

ECCC

Country

Cambodia

Language

English

This week, the Trial Chamber successfully heard the testimonies of three Civil Parties within two and a half days of proceedings. On 24 and 25 March, the first Civil Party, Mr. Soth Saing, testified, under protective measures, on his experiences as a former guard at Kraing Ta Chan Security Center (KTC), where he said he witnessed poor prison conditions, as well as interrogations and executions. Claiming he was assigned only to guard the prison’s outside perimeter, the witness consistently denied allegations by Soy Sen (a former prisoner and fellow Civil Party) that he was involved in the execution of two children and various acts of sexual violence. In an extended final session on the afternoon of March 25th, Mr. Soy Sen returned to the courtroom to complete his prior testimony, which had been left unfinished on 7 February 2015, when he expressed fear of naming former KTC cadres. In court this week, he identified the former prison staff members who took part in arrests, interrogations, and executions, and he rejected contradictory statements from the former guards. On the morning of 26 March, Civil Party Oung Saroeun testified on her experiences in Leay Bour Commune in Tram Kak District. She reported witnessing a visit by Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Pol Pot to a dam construction site near Or Chambok in 1977. This report summarizes the three Civil Party appearances in court from this week, analyzes the Parties’ questioning practices, and critiques the Trial Chamber’s inconsistent approach to protecting victim confidentiality in accordance with its own directives.