Trial Chamber officials of the Khmer Rouge tribunal will meet with defense and civil party attorneys Thursday to discuss the upcoming trial of jailed prison chief Duch.
The tribunal judges and prosecutors will discuss with attorneys evidence, witnesses and procedures for the hearing of Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev.
“We will consider the situation of the parties that will participate in the process,” Trial Chamber chief judge Nil Non said. “We will also consider the question of witnesses, the question of evidence and the management of the hearing.”
The Trial Chamber has received the witness list from prosecutors and must still decide on trial preliminaries by the end of February, he said. The chamber is still waiting for a witness list from the civil parties, he added.
However, Hong Kim Suon, a civil party attorney, said the list of witnesses was sent Wednesday afternoon.
Tribunal prosecutor Robert Petit has said Thursday’s meeting will resolve many logistical issues and pave the way for Duch’s trial, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role as the head of Tuol Sleng prison.
The trial will be the first-ever held by the hybrid tribunal, which stood up in 2006 but has experienced a number of delays in reaching the trial stage for five jailed leaders of the regime