Documentation Center of Cambodia

 

Building Democracy in Cambodia through Legal Education

Witnessing Justice 30 Years Later

 

A Live Screening Verdict on Case 002/01 at Sen Monorum Pagoda

Sen Monorum District, Mondulkiri Province

 

August 07, 2014

 

Photo by Sophy Keo, Farina So, and Sokagna Hun

On August 7, a live screening verdict of Case 002/01 against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan was organized by DC-Cam team at Sen Monorum Pagoda's Dining Hall attended by about 100 villagers and local authority. The participants consisted of ethnic Pnorng, Khmer, Chinese, Cham Muslim, and the Vietnamese. Gender representation was balanced. The team selected the screening site based on two main reasons: firstly, the province is mostly populated by hill tribes who lack access to mass media. Most of the villagers were evacuated to Koh Nhek district in the 1970s, which later became a provincial administration. After the collapse of the Khmer Rouge, the provincial administration was moved back to Mondulkiri province. Secondly, the pagoda was bombed during Lon Nol regime killing several people. The crater was filled in and a new building was built upon the crater, which was behind the screening site. After the pronouncement of the verdict, most of the participants agreed with it. They said they felt a sense of justice after the two defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment. Some participants wanted the defendants to be responsible for young generation's future. Some did not want to see the return of the Khmer Rouge. Some insisted the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) to speed up Cases 003 and 004. The team also conducted several other activities such as book distribution, name collecting in support of permanent Documentation Center of Cambodia, the Sleuk Rith Institute, and a screening of DC-Cam's award-winning film, "A River Changes Course," followed the live screening. Some of these activities were sketched by an architect student from Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA). Overall, the participants found the verdict meaningful, although it was an imperfect justice.