Recent Developments at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

Ahead of its first trial, the Cambodian government and international actors must immediately address grave flaws in the tribunal set up to try senior members of the Khmer Rouge for crimes against humanity, warns a report released by the Open Society Justice Initiative.

The long-awaited trial of Kaing Guek Eav (a.k.a. Duch), the commander of the infamous Tuol Sleng S-21 Prison where thousands of Cambodians were tortured and killed, is scheduled to begin next Tuesday in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. The tribunal has charged four other suspects in the murder of almost two million people between 1975 and 1979. Recent reports, however, suggest the Cambodian government is attempting to block further indictments.

The court has also been plagued by unresolved allegations of corrupt employment practices. A confidential United Nations report in August 2008 detailed complaints of the court's staff paying kickbacks to political overseers. To date, the United Nations and the Cambodian government have yet to put in place a plan to address the problem.

Recent Developments at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: February 2009 is the latest in a series of regular Justice Initiative publications offering news, analysis, and recommendations on the ECCC.