An United Nations-backed panel discussion at Rutgers University in the US state of New Jersey, has explored the role of genocide and war crimes prosecution in Cambodia and how accountability has helped ‘reconcile’ the country.
Speaking at the event, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Stephen Mathias stated,
“It can be argued that the development of individual criminal responsibility, like we saw in the case of Duch [Kaing Guek Eav], for perpetrators of genocide and war crimes and crimes against humanity has been one of the major legal developments of the last 60 years which began with the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals”
“One of the principal tasks of the Office of Legal Affairs at the UN is to insist that accountability follows serious international crimes like those that were committed in Cambodia”
“And the Secretary-General of the United Nations is at the forefront of the efforts of the United Nations to ensure that impunity is not tolerated.”
Also at the event was the manager of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, Kimberly Mann who highlighted the importance of bringing the perpetrators of such crime to justice.
See the report from the UN News Centre here.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
