The question remains, who will be held responsible for the war crimes in Cambodia? What is in store for the future of Cambodia? Pol Pot, the original leader, passed away in 1998. As the remaining former leaders age, many wonder if they will pass unprosecuted.
In 2008, more than 30 years after the genocide, a war crimes tribunal designed to try senior members of the Khmer Rouge for atrocity crimes will take place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) will work with the United Nations and the Royal Government of Cambodia to make sense of the past.
To read more about the history, proceedings and overview of the tribunal, please visit:
Peter Leuprecht served as the special representative for the United Nations' Secretary-General for Human Rights in Cambodia from 2000 to 2005. Leuprecht was responsible for coordinating a human rights presence in Cambodia, an issue, Leuprecht says, that still needs much work.
"What is needed is an effort of public information and education," Leuprecht said.
In this interview, Leuprecht discusses the four basic evils that afflict Cambodian society today, the importance of the ongoing war tribunal and the significance of learning from past atrocities and tragedies. View the VIDEO above.
