ECCC, Case 002/02, Issue 8

Case 002/02

ECCC

Cambodia

English

Case 002/02 proceeded beyond the confines of the first trial segment on Tram Kak District cooperatives and Kraing Ta Chan Security Center this week as the Trial Chamber heard the testimony of the case’s first Expert Witness, Elizabeth Becker. The Expert testified for three days on the geopolitical context for the rise and fall of Democratic Kampuchea, the country’s tensions with Vietnam, the internal purges of cadre and officials across the Zones, and her own visit to DK in December 1978. The testimony dealt with major themes relevant to the Prosecution’s cases, victims’ experiences, and key Defense arguments raised by the CoAccused, so it often became contentious. Parties raised many procedural issues this week concerning phrasing of questions, the selective appearance of Nuon Chea in the trial, and the scope of Case 002/02. In addition, the Chamber heard the testimony of a Civil Party, Ry Pov, who described his experiences working in a Tram Kak District mobile unit after returning to his homeland of Takeo Province from a refugee camp in Vietnam in 1976. This report analyzes testimony from the two witnesses who appeared this week, discusses the legal issues raised during their testimony, and continues to track the progress of the Chamber’s overall management of the trial.