Beginning 27 June 2011, the Trial Chamber of the ECCC presided over several days of Initial Hearings in the case against four alleged senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge: Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan. This marked the official commencement of the trial. During the hearing, the Chamber considered the parties’ lists of potential witnesses and the initial specifications of reparations awards the CPLCL intend to seek under the Internal Rules. The parties also presented their oral arguments on the following legal issues: (i) ne bis in idem (also known as “double jeopardy” in common law systems), (ii) the royal pardon and amnesty granted to Ieng Sary by King Norodom Sihanouk, (iii) the statute of limitations for grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and (iv) the statute of limitations for the national crimes within the jurisdiction of the ECCC.
Read the report:
KRT Trial Monitor Issue No. 1 – Initial Hearing (27-30 June 2011)
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