Press Releases

The Khmer Rouge Trials:
the Supreme Court Chamber Judgment against former senior leaders of the
Khmer Rouge regime
(Statement by Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida)

November 23, 2016

1. On November 23 (both local and Japan times), the Supreme Court Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) dismissed the appeal by the Defence against the Trial Chamber judgment regarding two former leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime and upheld the sentence of life imprisonment. Japan welcomes the announcement of the judgment by the Supreme Court Chamber of the ECCC as a major achievement of its judicial process, which started in 2006.

2. The Khmer Rouge Trials are the crucial step toward the conclusion of the entire peace process in Cambodia, and will contribute to delivering justice and strengthening the rule of law in the country. In light of this, Japan has been playing a leading role in the international community in extending support for the trials.

3. Japan strongly hopes that the trials on the remaining cases are held expeditiously and that its mission be completed successfully, bearing in mind the advanced age of both the accused and the victims.

(Reference) Japan’s financial assistance for the Khmer Rouge Trials
Japan has provided roughly 85.12 million US dollars (68.58 million dollars to the international side and 16.54 million dollars to the domestic side), or about 32% of the international assistance for the Khmer Rouge Trials, since they began in 2006.


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