From Victim to Witness: Convening Cambodian Survivors to Discuss the Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Forums for the Cambodian Diaspora in the United States

Forums for the Cambodian Diaspora in the United States

CJA and our partner organization the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia (ASRIC) will convene five forums in locations throughout the United States. The purpose of these forums is to provide legal outreach and information about the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC or Khmer Rouge Tribunal) and the upcoming trial against four former senior officials of the Khmer Rouge. The forums will be open to CJA clients as well as individuals from the Cambodian Diaspora and will take place in Long Beach and San Jose, CA; Lowell, MA; Washington, D.C.; and Philadelphia, PA.

The program will consist of presentations by CJA staff attorneys providing background on the crimes, defendants, and structure of victim participation before the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. In addition, there will be a discussion on reparations and a moderated dialogue with the audience which will provide CJA the opportunity to answer questions or concerns regarding the upcoming trial. The forums will be conducted in English and Khmer, and will include a ceremony to acknowledge the struggles of the Cambodian community under the Khmer Rouge.

If you wish to attend a forum or learn more information, please contact nsarkarati@cja.org.

THE FORUMS

Khmer Rouge Trials

Background on Cambodia

Community Outreach Newsletters

Information Packet on the Khmer Rouge Tribunal and Survivor Participation

Talking Points: Khmer-American Diaspora Civil Parties before the ECCC

Our objective in Case 002 is to convince the ECCC to order a broad range of reparations that address the unique harms experienced by the Khmer-American diaspora as well as the harm experienced by all the Civil Parties before the court.

Civil Parties from the Diaspora Share their Views at the Start of Case 002 Before the ECCC

The Center for Justice and Accountability, in cooperation with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) held a conference at the opening of Case 002 in Cambodia and highlighted the lessons learned from the previous trial and proceedings, especially in regards to civil party participation and reparation, and gave the floor to victims from Cambodia and from the diaspora to express their expectations for this important trial.

Lowell, MA Forum: September 29, 2012

CJA and ASRIC held a forum for Cambodian survivors at the Lowell Community Health Center in Lowell, Massachusetts on September 29, 2012. This marked the second time that survivors in the Lowell area were able to personally meet with CJA staff attorneys. Dr. Leakhena Nou, Executive Director of ASRIC, presented her research findings on the physical and emotional effects of the Khmer Rouge tragedy on survivors in the United States. Dr. Nou’s presentation was followed by a presentation by Nushin Sarkarati about the background of the ECCC as well as the court’s legal parameters and limitations. Survivors were given the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and make statements throughout the forum.

Long Beach Forum: April 30, 2011

On April 20, 2011, CJA and ASRIC will be holding their second forum for Cambodian survivors in Long Beach, CA. There will be presentations on the Tribunal as well as a discussion about reparations aimed at understanding what the Cambodian community in the United States hopes to learn and gain from the trial. This is an opportunity for the Cambodian community to share their stories of survival with one another as well as voice any questions or concerns about the upcoming trial with attorneys working before the Tribunal.

San Jose Forum: February 26, 2011

On February 26, 2011, CJA and ASRIC conducted their first joint forum for Cambodian survivors in the Bay Area. Approximately 50 survivors attended the event, which was held in a Khmer Krom temple located in San Jose, California.

From Killing Fields to the ECCC: Survivor Testifies about Khmer Rouge Atrocities
June 4th, 2013

After decades of searching for justice, CJA Client Ms. Sophany Bay testified before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia about the abuses she suffered at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in 1975, including the deaths of her 3 young children. Ms. Bay is one of the first survivors from the Cambodian diaspora in the U.S. to offer evidence in case 002. Click here for more information, and here for the press release. Click here for a detailed summary of Ms. Bay's testimony.

U.S. Cambodian Survivors See Death of Accused Ieng Sary as Missed Opportunity for Justice
March 14th, 2013

Co-founder of the Khmer Rouge, Ieng Sary, died before a verdict was reached in the trial against him and two other senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). His death at the age of 87 serves as a wake-up call to the UN backed Tribunal, which has been riddled with delays since its inception.

Cambodia's KRouge court adds mass killings to trial
by AFP, AsiaOne
October 8th, 2012

The ECCC expands the scope of crimes it will hear in Case 002 to include mass killings of 3,000 former military officers at the Tuol Po Chrey execution site in Western Cambodia.

CJA Statement on Defendant Ieng Thirith's Dismissal from Khmer Rouge Trial

On September 13, 2012, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) dismissed Ieng Thirith from the second Khmer Rouge trial on grounds of mental unfitness. Ieng Thirith has been widely believed to have Alzheimer’s disease, affecting her memory and ability to confront evidence against her at trial.