Proceedings Postponed Due to Ieng Sary’s Health
Monday’s hearings in Trial 002 of the ECC were cut short due to problems with the accused Ieng Sary’s health. Proceedings began unusually late – around 9:30 a.m., trying the patience of over 200 school children sitting in the public gallery. Waiting anxiously in their crisp white uniforms, the students erupted into whispers of excitement as the curtains opened around 9:10 a.m. Their excitement began to wane when the judges had yet to enter the Chamber five minutes later. An announcement soon came over the speaker thanking the audience for their patience and reporting that the judges were currently dealing with a “small emergency issue.” What that issue was, however, the announcer did not say.
Inside the Chamber, the civil party attorneys talked energetically among themselves while defense counsel sat somber on the opposite end, vacantly staring at the computer screens in front of them. Nuon Chea appeared cool and collected, occasionally glancing at the school children restlessly squirming in their seats…