ECCC, Case 002/02, Issue 34

Case 002/02

ECCC

Cambodia

English

This week, the Trial Chamber reconvened after two weeks of adjournment for both the Pchum Ben holiday and an additional recess to allow the Bench to consider ongoing procedural issues. The Chamber was first scheduled to hear the testimony of Witness 2-TCW-996, a witness stemming from the Case 004 investigation and requested by Nuon Chea in relation to the Trapeang Thma Dam worksite, however, after the Chamber’s recent memorandum on the use of evidence from Cases 003 and 004, the Chamber decided to hear this witness entirely in closed session.1 Summaries of this Witness’ testimony will be included in a future report once redacted transcripts of the closed proceedings become available.2 On Tuesday afternoon, the Chamber commenced hearing the first witness in a new segment of the trial covering the treatment of the ethnic Vietnamese minority, relating to charges of genocide and crimes against humanity encompassing deportation, extermination, murder, and persecution on racial grounds. 3 This witness, Mr. Sean Sung, primarily provided testimony about his observations of a massacre of ethnic Vietnamese people in Chi Kraeng District, Siem Reap Province in 1978. In addition, he recalled seeing the execution of the only Vietnamese woman from his mobile unit, who he said was killed and disemboweled. As other witnesses scheduled to appear later this week were unavailable, Sean Sung was the only witness to be heard in open court this week. In response to Defense requests for extra time to prepare for the 16-18 November appeals hearings before the Supreme Court Chamber in Case 002/01, the Trial Chamber adjourned Case 002/02 hearings from this Wednesday until 30 November.