Documentation Center of Cambodia

 

Building Democracy in Cambodia through Legal Education

Witnessing Justice 30 Years Later

 

A Live Screening Verdict on Case 002/01

Sambour Dictrict, Kratie Province

 

August 07, 2014

 

Photo by Solyda Say, Khamboly Dy, and Sopheap Sok

On August 7, 2014, over 100 villagers and local authorities from across Kbal Damrei Commune in Sambour District, Kratie Province, gathered for DC-Cam's live screening of the verdict in Case 002/01 of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Though the DC-Cam team intended to hold the event in the local pagoda, technical problems made this plan impossible. Fortunately, one villager was willing to open his house to the public for the forum which provided a large quite space for the event. More than half of participates were women and children because most men were busy during this busy transplanting time of the year The site was selected for screening to access the local population's poor communities and ethnic minority groups. First, despite the newly expanded and re-surfaced National Road #73 which literally runs through this commune, the local residents remain unable to reap economic advantages from the busy road to improve their living conditions; thus, the houses along National Road #73 are in poor condition and very far apart from one another and villagers have difficulty accessing the media, as television is viewed as a luxury. Second, two ethnic minority groups, the Phnong and Mel communities, comprised of over 2000 residents are currently living in Kbal Damrei.