ECCC, Case 002/02, Issue 4

Case 002/02

ECCC

Cambodia

English

On 8 January 2015, the Trial Chamber resumed proceedings in Case 002/02, after two months of adjournment, which had been the result of the Khieu Samphan Defense Team refusing to participate in Case 002/02 trial proceedings while they were still working on the Case 002/01 appellate briefs. After the 29 December 2014 deadline for Case 002/01 appellate filings passed, the trial resumed. The Court was set to begin hearing witnesses in Case 002/02, and, indeed, the first witness, Mr. Meas Sokha did begin testifying on the 8th, but the Trial Chamber suspended proceedings abruptly that same afternoon when Khieu Samphan fell ill and was hospitalized due to heightened blood pressure and dizziness. A hearing for the following day lasted only four minutes, as the President announced that the Accused would be hospitalized over the weekend. The President scheduled hearings to resume on 15 January, but Khieu Samphan remained in the hospital longer than expected, so proceedings were again cancelled on the 15th. The Court hopes to resume proceedings on Wednesday, 21 January. During the half day of testimony that the Court heard last week, Mr. Meas Sokha, of Srae Kru village in Tram Kok District, Takeo Province, responded to questions from the Prosecutors concerning his experiences in a children's unit in Tram Kok cooperatives, as well as his detention alongside 12 members of his family at Kraing Ta Chan Security Center.