Khieu Samphan’s Prolonged Hospital Stay Necessitates Extending Adjournment to January 21, 2015

The ECCC announced today that it had received confirmation from Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital medical personnel that Khieu Samphan would not be ready for discharge in time for resuming the hearings in Case 002/02 which had been set for Thursday, January 15, 2015.

As Khieu Samphan has informed the court that he wishes to be present for all testimony, the Trial Chamber recognized the inevitable. President Nil Nonn ordered cancellation of the above noted hearing and directed that the evidentiary sittings will continue on Wednesday, January 21, 2015.

The Press Release referred to the court order of December 18, 2014, charging Dr. Chan Kin Ming and Dr. Huot Lina with the responsibility of assessing the health of both Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea to determine whether the men (age 83 and 88 respectively) are medically fit to stand trial. The doctors are to provide the Trial Chamber with an Experts’ Report based on their examinations of the accused to be conducted on January 19 and January 20, 2015.

It is perhaps relevant in assessing the possibility of a further delay caused by health issues to observe that, although the trial is now set to continue on January 21, 2015, Dr. Chan and Dr. Huot are not to be questioned by Defence Counsel and Co-Prosecutors on their conclusions in their Experts’ Report until Friday, January 23, 2015. (Note: Civil Party Lead Co-Lawyers have requested that the court affirm that they also have the right to reserve participation in the examination on the report).