The Phnom Penh Post

The Office of Co-Investigating Judges announced that investigations into Comrade Duch's case may finish in early May.

Results of an independent review into the court's human resource practices dismissed previous charges of kickbacks, inflated salaries and unqualified staff at the ECCC.

Administrative "practices of the ECCC national side are robust and ready to take on the challenges of the next phase of operations," UNDP Country Director Jo Scheuer read during a press conference Friday, April 25.

The court came under international scrutiny around a year ago after a legal watchdog group questioned its hiring practices and alleged that UNDP funds were "being siphoned off as kickbacks," John Hall wrote in the Wall Street Journal. In response, the UNDP commissioned a special audit.

What follows is a glossary of key people and terms related to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. It is by no means an exhaustive list, and I plan to expand and update it as the legal process moves forward. If, in reading the glossary, you have suggested additions, please let me know. The information was gathered from a number of different sources, including The Khmer Rouge Tribunal, Seven Candidates for Prosecution: Accountability for the Crimes of the Khmer Rouge (Heder & Tittemore) and the ECCC website. While this glossary is alphabetical, keep in mind that Cambodian names generally follow the format "family name, given name" as opposed to the English standard "given name, family name."

Chea Leang: The Cambodian Co-Prosecutor for the tribunal. She received her legal education in Germany and began her career at the Ministry of Justice. In 2002 she joined the Cambodian Judiciary as a prosecutor in the appeals court. She has received additional training in Denmark, Japan and The Hague. For more information on the role of the Co-Prosecutors, see "Pre-Trial and Investigation Phase."

Chhit Choeun: "Ta Mok," top military commander during the period of Democratic Kampuchea. He played a lead role in implementing execution policies, according to Heder and Tittemore. Ta Mok lost the lower part of one leg during fighting in 1970. He remained powerful after fall of Democratic Kampuchea and, after a split in the party in 1997, arrested Pol Pot and sentenced him to house arrest. Ta Mok was captured by government troops in 1999, but died in custody in 2006.

Civil Party: A victim of the Khmer Rouge regime who has applied to become a full party to criminal proceedings at the tribunal.

CPK: The Communist Party of Kampuchea, colloquially referred to as the "Khmer Rouge." Democratic Kampuchea: The official name of Cambodia during the years of Khmer Rouge governance (1975-1979).

Democratic Kampuchea: The official name of Cambodia during the years of Khmer Rouge governance (1975-1979).

ECCC: Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea. Colloquially referred to as the "Khmer Rouge Tribunal." The outcome of years of negotiation between the United Nations and Cambodian Government, the hybrid court is charged with prosecuting senior leaders and "those most responsible" for atrocities committed from 1975-1979.

Ieng Sary: Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs during the period of Democratic Kampuchea. Sary was born in Southwestern Vietnam near the Cambodian border, perhaps in 1930 (the year is disputed). He studied at the Lycee Sisowath and in Paris. During his time in France, Sary and Pol Pot socialized with French communist intellectuals. Though he was sentenced to death in absentia by the Vietnamese-backed People's Revolutionary Tribunal in 1979, Sary was granted a pardon by King Sihanouk in 1996. He was arrested Nov. 12, 2007 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He has been hospitalized while in detention. According to Heder and Tittemore, evidence shows Sary was responsible for repeatedly and publicly encouraging arrests and executions in his Foreign Ministry and throughout DK.

Ieng Thirith: Social Affairs Minister and head of the Red Cross Society during the period of Democratic Kampuchea. She was born in 1932 in Battambang and attended the Lycee Sisowath in Phnom Penh. Thirith studied English and literature at the Sorbonne and married Ieng Sary in France. Her sister, Khieu Ponnary, was married to Pol Pot. She and Ieng Sary lived until recently in a Phnom Penh villa on St. 21. She was arrested Nov. 12, 2007 for crimes against humanity.

Jarvis, Helen: As of June 2009, Jarvis has served as Head of the Victims Unit. Previously, she was a spokesperson for the ECCC. She is also a co-author of Getting Away with Genocide? Elusive Justice and the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

Joint Criminal Enterprise: A mode of liability that exists when two or more people participate in a common criminal endeavor, sharing a common criminal purpose. It was first defined at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Co-Prosecutors at the ECCC wanted the charge added to the indictment against "Comrade Duch," but judges at the tribunal rejected the request.

Kaing Guek Eav: "Comrade Duch," head of S-21 detention center. He was born in Kampong Thom in 1942. Duch oversaw the torture and purges of thousands of suspected Khmer Rouge "enemies" at S-21. In the mid-1990s, he converted to Christianity and became a lay pastor. When he was discovered by photojournalist Nic Dunlop in 1999, Duch agreed to be interviewed by journalist Nate Thayer for an article in the Far Eastern Economic Review. After that, he surrendered to Cambodian government authorities. On July 31, 2007 he was formally charged with crimes against humanity. Duch has talked openly about his - and others' - roles in the mass killings of Democratic Kampuchea. He is expected to be the first defendant to face trial in 2009.

Kar Savuth: Defense attorney for "Comrade Duch." Kar has practiced criminal law since 1982 and was one of the first lawyers to be admitted to the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Khieu Samphan: Head of State for Democratic Kampuchea. He was born in 1931 and studied politics and economics in France. Samphan purportedly suffered a stroke Nov. 13, 2007 - the day after Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith were brought into tribunal custody - and was arrested after being released from the hospital. He is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity and has been taken to the hospital several times while in detention. According to Heder and Tittemore, evidence suggests that Samphan was aware of - and sometimes encouraged - policies of arresting, torturing and executing purported enemy agents. Samphan's foreign attorney is "Devil's Advocate" Jacques Verges.

Lemonde, Marcel: The foreign Co-Investigating Judge for the tribunal. Lemonde entered the French Judiciary in 1976. Since 2005, he has been president of a chamber in the court of appeals in Paris. He was president of the French Association of Investigating Judges from 1984 to 1987. For more information on the role of the Co-Investigating Judges, see "Pre-Trial and Investigation Phase."

Nuon Chea: "Brother Number Two," deputy secretary of the Communist Part of Kampuchea (CPK) central committee. He was born in Battambang in 1926 and attended university in Bangkok. In 1998 he surrendered to the Cambodian government with remaining Khmer Rouge forces and until recently lived with his wife in Pailin.