Cambodia Tribunal Monitor Web Site Posts Video of First Pre-Trial Public Hearing on Cambodia Tribunal

Cambodia Tribunal Monitor Web Site Posts Video of First Pre-Trial Public Hearing on Cambodia Tribunal
PR Newswire
28 November

http://www.CambodiaTribunal.org

CHICAGO, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cambodia Tribunal Monitor Web site
today posted complete videotaped coverage of the first pre-trial public
hearing of appeal by Person Under Detention Kaing Guek Eav in the
long-awaited special war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The November 20 public hearing, held by the Extraordinary Chambers in the
Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), concerned the appeal of Kiang Guek Eav, also
known as "Comrade Duch," against the Order for Provisional Detention. Duch
has been charged with carrying out executions and torture at the Tuol Sleng
prison, where 17,000 people were incarcerated in Phnom Penh during the Khmer
Rouge regime.

The Web site will offer complete videotaped footage throughout the court
proceedings and serve as the leading independent source of news and
information on the upcoming trials of senior officials of the Khmer Rouge
regime for atrocity crimes. The formal trials are expected to begin early
2008.

The Web site currently posts news updates and guest commentaries by leading
international experts on the recent history of Cambodia, politics, human
rights and international law. It also provides background information on the
history of the Khmer Rouge and ECCC and important resources such as court
documents and bibliographies of scholarly articles and books. Eventually, it
will also include video interviews with Cambodian citizens documenting their
reaction to events.

From April 1975 to January 1979, an estimated 1.7 million Cambodian citizens
died under the Khmer Rouge regime. After nearly 10 years of negotiations,
this special war crimes tribunal has commenced. The ECCC, as the special
Cambodian court is formally known, will oversee the proceedings and is a
joint partnership of the United Nations and the Royal Government of
Cambodia.

Background on the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor Web site:

The Cambodia Tribunal Monitor was developed by a consortium of academic,
philanthropic and non-profit organizations committed to providing public
access to the tribunal and open discussion throughout the judicial process.
The academic manager and sponsor of the site is Northwestern University
School of Law's Center for International Human Rights, joined by co-sponsors
Documentation Center of Cambodia and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and
Education Center. The prime sponsor of the site is the J.B. and M.K.
Pritzker Family Foundation.

The Web site concept was conceived by Illinois State Senator Jeff
Schoenberg, a Chicago-area legislator who also advises the Pritzker family
on its philanthropy. In January 2007, Schoenberg participated in a trip
sponsored by Build Cambodia, a U.S. based not-for-profit organization
dedicated to helping Cambodians build their lives and society. As a result
of the experience, Schoenberg enlisted the support of the aforementioned
sponsors, and with their assistance the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor was
created.

Website: http://www.CambodiaTribunal.org/