Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal prosecutors begin investigation News
Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal prosecutors begin investigation

[JURIST] Prosecutors working for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal [official task force website; timeline] began formal investigation Monday of criminal acts allegedly committed by surviving leaders of the communist Khmer Rouge [JURIST news archive] regime, which ruled Cambodia from 1975-1978 and was responsible for the deaths of at least 1.5 million Cambodians by execution, forced hardships, or starvation in the so-called "Killing Fields." Led by Canadian prosecutor Robert Petit [Globalpolicy.org profile] and Cambodian prosecutor Chea Leang, the investigation will collect and review evidence that could be used at trial. Petit has warned, however, that it could take months for prosecutors to return indictments [JURIST report] due the complexity of the cases and the novel structure of the court.

Twenty-seven of the UN assisted court's thirty judges and prosecutors [official list] were sworn in [JURIST report] at a ceremony in Phnom Penh last week. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

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On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.