Tribunal Director of Administration Sean Visoth assured an ECCC working group last week that the court will soon overcome its daunting translation backlog.

"The judicial offices are taking a number of ameliorative measures," he told "Friends of the ECCC" during a May 8 meeting called primarily to review the court's budget.

Those measures include requiring all documents be filed in Khmer and at least one of the court's other two official languages, as well as clarifying which filings must be made in all three languages.

Finally, "a workplan is being developed for a blitz on translation of the pending documents," he said.

 

The translation issue recently came to the fore during Khieu Samphan's appearance before the Pre-Trial Chamber. Judges adjourned the April 23 appeal hearing after Samphan's lawyer, Jacques Verges, insisted that all documents relevant to his client's case be translated into French.

Regarding Khieu Samphan's case specifically, Visoth said "the resolution of this particular issue is of course still in process."

During his address at the meeting, Visoth also praised France for its recent contribution of $1-million to the court and emphasized the need for speedy trials.

* For more information on translation issues, consult Cat Barton's article in the current edition of the Post: "KRT forced to face translation crisis. "

 

Pictured top, right: Sean Visoth. Pictured above: controversial defense lawyer Jacques Verges during Khieu Samphan's April 23 bail hearing.