Like Sierra Leone, Cambodia received UN backing to form a special hybrid court within its own borders – bringing justice closer to home, but also opening the tribunal to allegations of political interference. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is trying former Khmer Rouge officials who ruled the country from 1975 to 1979, when some 2 million Cambodians died of starvation, disease, and execution.
The first trial of a Khmer Rouge official, Kaing Guek Eav, began in 2009 for charges of crimes against humanity, violations of the Geneva Conventions, and domestic crimes of homicide and torture. In July 2010 he was sentenced to 19 years in prison – a sentence many Cambodians thought was far too lenient. Four more former Khmer Rouge officials are in court this week.
