Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

“will play an important role in helping Cambodians come to terms with the past as
they move forward with national reconciliation”.
A closing order in Case 2 at the Court against the four remaining senior leaders of
the Khmer Rouge regime was signed in September. This trial is expected to
commence in mid-2011 and will address charges of genocide, crimes against
humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and offences under the 1956
Cambodian criminal code.
We also provided practical support to the Court. We supported it in its efforts to
raise funds, which are pledged on a voluntary basis. In December we contributed
£215,000 to the Court, bringing our total contribution to date to around £2.3 million,
and we also provided additional resources for court monitoring and training for the
Office of the Co-Prosecutors and the Victims Support Unit.
Special Court for Sierra Leone
Securing funding for the Special Court, also pledged on a voluntary basis, grew
increasingly difficult throughout 2010. The UK contributed more than £2 million but
extensive appeals to donors for further essential funds yielded insufficient results
and the Special Court faced critical financial shortfalls. In response, we worked to
secure emergency UN funding for the Special Court which will move it onto a more
secure financial footing for 2011. We also played a key role in securing a provisional
agreement with the government of Sierra Leone on a cost effective Residual
Mechanism for the Special Court, which should guarantee that essential functions,
such as witness protection and security of the archives, can continue effectively.
With trial activity in Freetown already completed, the only remaining trial at the
Special Court is that of Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president. This is taking
place in The Hague. Mr Taylor is charged with crimes against humanity and war
crimes in Sierra Leone. November saw the closure of the defence case in the Taylor
trial and a verdict is now expected in the summer of 2011. If convicted, Mr Taylor
will serve his sentence in the UK under a 2007 sentence enforcement agreement.
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