Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 From Impunity to Accountability? The Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Description

11:30-12:30 Official opening of exhibition (followed by luncheon reception)
12:30-1:30 Panel presentations
1:30-2:30 Discussion and Q&A

The symposium will examine the complexities and challenges facing the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), commonly known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Trials for Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity or War Crimes embody the hopes of countless victims and survivors for a compelling motive behind their victimization, a clear understanding of the responsibilities of all those involved in their tragedy and an outcome that brings a sense of justice commensurate with the worst imaginable suffering. More often then not those expectations are unfulfilled. Through his experience in four different International Tribunals, but with a specific focus on Cambodia, Robert Petit, will address the fundamental importance, and limits, of the criminal justice process for mass atrocities. Survivor, Kunthear Thorng, and ECCC legal intern, Kate Robertson, will provide additional perspectives on the nature of justice for atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.

The exhibition explores issues of accountability in the aftermath of the crimes that took place during the Khmer Rouge era. The exhibit, produced by the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, a Phnom Penh-based NGO, examines the recent activities of the ECCC. From Impunity to Accountability? Is presented in two parts: Case 001 offers an in-depth portrait of Kaing Guek Eav (aka Duch), the head of the notorious S21 security prison, and commentary on the controversial judgment handed down by the ECCC Trial Chamber in July 2010; Case 002 provides biographical details of the four senior Khmer Rouge leaders currently on trial – Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan – and descriptions of the crimes with which they have been charged.

Exhibition: October 14 – November 7
Location: Interior Corridor, Munk School of Global Affairs, 1 Devonshire Place
Exhibition Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8:30am to 11:45pm, Friday: 8:30am to 8:45pm, Saturday: 9:00am to 8:45pm, Sunday: 1:00pm to 11:45pm

SPEAKERS

Robert Petit was called to the Bar in 1988 and started his legal career as a Crown Prosecutor in Montreal for eight years eventually focusing on organised criminality and complex cases. From 1996 to 1999, he embarked on an international career starting as a Legal Officer in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Subsequently between 1999 and 2004, he was a Legal Advisor for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, a Prosecutor for the Serious Crimes Unit of the United Nations Missions of Support to East Timor, and a Senior Trial Attorney with the Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. In 2006, he was named by the United Nations as International Co Prosecutor of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia a position he held until September 2009 when he returned to Canada and his current position as Counsel with the War Crimes Section of Canada’s Federal Department of Justice. He is the 2009 recipient of the Frederick K Cox International Humanitarian Award for Advancing Global Justice.

Kunthear Thorng is a child-survivor of the Cambodian genocide. Orphaned after the execution of his father, stepmother and five step-siblings, he lived through the Khmer Rouge period by hiding in a pagoda and an orphanage before being forced to the Thai border, where he was transported to a series of refugee and transit camps. He immigrated to Canada in 1983 and currently lives in Bradford with his wife and two sons. Mr Thorng will speak about his experiences in Cambodia between 1975-1979, and provide a survivor’s perspective on accountability and justice.

Kate Robertson is a JD candidate in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law. Previously, Kate worked as a Legal Intern in the
Office of the International Investigating Judge at the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia. Later as a Reparations Intern for the International Center for Transitional Justice, she continued to research victim participation and reparations at the ECCC.

MODERATOR

Andrea Russell teaches International Criminal Law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she also serves as Executive Director of the Dean’s Office. She holds a law degree from UofT as well as a Master’s in International Relations from Cambridge University, and practiced international law in New York and Europe prior to her return to Toronto. Her course at the Law Faculty includes extensive analysis of the role of international criminal tribunals in transitional, post–conflict societies.

The exhibitions, The Duch Verdict: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Case 001 and Genocide: The Importance of Case 002, were produced by The Documentation Centre of Cambodia under the directorship of Youk Chhang. Exhibition text was written by Anne Heindel and Jaya Ramji-Nogales. Funding for the exhibition was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Swedish International Development Agency.Curator, Toronto: Carla Rose Shapiro