Witnessing Justice

Description

Witnessing Justice brings together voices of key actors connected to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), or Khmer Rouge Tribunal, to reflect on its establishment, operation and emerging legacy.

The collection covers the ECCC’s operation from its negotiations in 2006 to the conclusion of its judicial proceedings in 2022. It follows the ECCC through its different phases, including its establishment, the build-up to its creation, its investigations, the trials, court management, outreach, victim participation, reparations, collaboration with local civil society, outcomes and more.

The volume foregrounds the voices of those who built, made and engaged with the ECCC. Authors capture the plurality of views on the ECCC, including from those most intimately involved in the process. The editors bring their own engagement and expertise to section commentaries, which situate and contextualise authors’ contributions.

The ECCC’s legacy will be debated for decades to come. Milestone legal decisions and procedural innovations have advanced Cambodian and international law. The ECCC has also left its mark on Cambodian civil society and public discourse about the Khmer Rouge. Nearly 4,000 survivors participated in its proceedings, more than two dozen collective reparations projects emerged from it, and hundreds of Cambodian staff worked at the ECCC. The end of judicial activity at the ECCC is a key moment for assessing these legacies and gathering the voices of those who shaped this justice process.

‘Witnessing Justice will ensure that the lessons learned from the creation and working of the court will reverberate: not only in Cambodia, where the struggle for democracy and human rights continues to this day, but worldwide.’
—Gareth Evans