JURIST - Paper Chase: Cambodia genocide tribunal starts defense lawyer selection process

[JURIST] The Defense Support Section (DSS) of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) [official websites; JURIST news archive] opened the application process for defense lawyers Tuesday, seeking Cambodian and foreign lawyers [press release, PDF] with at least 10 years of relevant legal experience and "established competence in criminal and procedure at the international or national level" to represent Khmer Rouge defendants. Foreign applicants will be required to register with the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia and pay a $500 registration fee [JURIST report]. The DSS also opened the application process for legal consultants and case managers to join the defense team supporting the lawyers.

In June, judges of the ECCC unanimously adopted [press release, PDF; JURIST report] internal rules for the tribunal following the conclusion of a two-week meeting [JURIST report]. Tribunal judges have struggled with integrating international criminal law with Cambodian law, which is heavily influenced by the French legal system. The ECCC was established by a 2001 law [text as amended 2005, PDF] to investigate and try those responsible for the Cambodian genocide that occurred under the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge [MIPT backgrounder; JURIST news archive] regime. The genocide resulted in the deaths of over 1.7 million people from maltreatment, disease and malnutrition. To date, no top Khmer Rouge officials have faced trial. DPA has more.

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