Cambodians Demand Justice

Leakhena Nou

June 13, 2011
Letters to the International Herald Tribune

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia was established by the government of Cambodia and the United Nations to prosecute “senior leaders” of Democratic Kampuchea and “those who were most responsible” for the atrocity crimes committed from 1975 to 1979. It carried a mandate to include survivors in the litigation process.

The first E.C.C.C. case involved S-21’s notorious warden, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Comrade Duch. The second case will start on June 27 and engages four senior Khmer Rouge leaders.

As a Cambodian American scholar, I founded a community-based, social action organization dedicated to justice-oriented initiatives. We looked to the E.C.C.C. as a space wherein survivors could find justice. We filed 170 testimonies, which included 41 civil parties and 129 complainants.

Time and distance were often not on our side, as we labored to collect testimonies thousands of miles away from Phnom Penh. We endured knowing that Cambodian survivors both wanted and deserved justice. And, we had faith in the “extraordinary” court. Until recently.

The E.C.C.C. has shifted to a “no more trials” policy. On April 29 the court announced that the investigation of case 003 was concluded, without conducting any field investigations or interviewing suspects. This shows that the E.C.C.C. is more concerned with expediting process than pursuing justice. It has no regard for survivor testimonies and participation. Tragically, it has now become an impediment to justice.

Leakhena Nou

Founding director, Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia