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Nicholas Koumjian, International Prosecutor of Office of Co-Prosecutors

VOICES FROM THE ECCC (Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia)/THE KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL.

  1. You have over 35 years experience as a prosecutor, including 20 years in the field of international criminal justice. Can you provide any insight into what brought you to the ECCC?
  2. What are your thoughts on the positive and negative aspects of a hybrid court (or restrictions or freedoms that you found at the ECCC)?
  3. Can you comment on any significant challenges faced as an international prosecutor at the ECCC?
  4. You’ve worked in other international courts, how would you compare your experience in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) with the ECCC? (Note: Mr. Koumjian previously served as Trial Attorny at the ICTY and International Prosecutor in the War Crimes Section of the Prosecutor’s Office for Bosnia and Herzegovina.)
  5. How would you compare your experience with the ECCC with the SCSL (Special Court for Sierra Leone)? Note: Mr. Koumjian served as Principal Trial Attorney and Senior Appeals Counsel in the SCSL.)
  6. Are there any lessons learned, best practices, or recommendations that stand out in your mind based on your time at the ECCC? These recommendations, best practices or lessons learned can be both for future countries (or the UN) considering an ECCC-like court, as well as prosecutors or other personnel who may be working in such courts.
  7. What do you see to be significant challenges for future courts handling mass atrocities based on your work at the ECCC?
  8. Can you recall any experiences at the ECCC that changed your perspective, opinion, or practice?
  9. Can you recall any accused or survivor stories that resonate with you?
  10. What do you think is the one (or several) major impacts of the ECCC on Cambodian society? Both today and twenty years from now?

(Photo by Keo Theasrun, June 14, 2019)