Trial Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia Issues Severance Decision in Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea Trial (April 4, 2014) [1]
On April 4, 2014, the Trial Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) issued a new severance decision [3], defining which alleged crime sites and factual allegations will be included in the trial in Case 002/02 [4] against former Khmer Rouge leaders Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea. According to the press release [5], “[c]harges related to genocide, forced marriages and rape, treatment of Buddhists, internal purges, targeting of former Khmer Republic officials, four security centers, three worksites and one cooperative will form the basis for Case 002/02.” In ordering severance, the ECCC considered whether severance is “necessary to ensure at least a further portion of the charges are adjudicated within the lifespan of the Accused” as well as “the requirements that the trial be fair and expeditious as well as ‘reasonably representative’ of the entire Closing Order.”