April 25 Symposium to Explore Victims’ Interests vs. Defendants’ Rights in Upcoming Trial of Khmer Rouge Leader

Newark, NJ, April 21, 2006 – International criminal tribunals for human rights violations increasingly grant the desire of victims to participate at some level in the trial process. Balancing the recognized interests of victims with the rights of defendants to a fair trial raises significant practical and legal challenges.

On Tuesday, April 25, at Rutgers School of Law-Newark, specialists in international law, comparative law, evidence and procedure, and international criminal procedure as well as Cambodian experts will examine the extent to which victims will have a role in the upcoming trial of senior Khmer Rouge officials for the death of at least 1.7 million Cambodians. “The Extraordinary Chamber of Cambodia/The Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Balancing Victims’ Needs Against Defendants’ Rights” is co-sponsored by the law school’s Global Legal Studies program, the International Center for Transitional Justice, and the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). Rutgers-Newark hosts the U.S. office of DC-Cam. In addition to representatives from the co-sponsoring organizations, the program will include the following speakers:

Who: Dr. Widhya Chem, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the United Nations

David Hutchinson, Office of Legal Affairs,United Nations

Dr. Kelly Dawn Askin, Open Society Justice Initiative

Professor Jaya Ramji, Georgetown University Law Center and advisor to the Documentation Center of Cambodia

Professor Roger Clark, Rutgers School of Law-Camden

Professor Beth Stephens, Rutgers School of Law-Camden, a Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) cooperating attorney

Socheata Poeuv, journalist and independent filmmaker

What: “The Extraordinary Chamber of Cambodia/The Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Balancing Victims’ Needs Against Defendants’ Rights”

When: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Where: Rutgers School of Law-Newark

Contact: Janet Donohue, Manager of Public Relations, t: 973-353-5553, f: 973-353-1717, or [email protected]