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Updated at 2:37 p.m., Friday, March 9, 2007

East-West Center gets grants for Khmer tribunal work

News Release

The East-West Center received two grants totaling more than $105,000 from the British Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for two projects tied to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

Both projects are part of the Asian International Justice Initiative, a partnership between the EWC and the War Crimes Studies Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

"We certainly appreciate these grants in underwriting our efforts to support development of the rule of law in Cambodia and to help the Khmer Rouge Tribunal bring some closure to a horrific period in Cambodian history," EWC president Charles E. Morrison said in a news release issued today.

One project will include training workshops for Cambodian defense attorneys and prosecutors, focusing on legal issues that will likely play a central role in the Khmer Rouge trials such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and the doctrine of command responsibility.

The second project involves producing videos about the Cambodian court, its missions and its trials. The video-taped programs will be available for showing on national television in Cambodia and distribution to rural areas in the country.

Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the East-West Center is an education and research organization that aims to to strengthen relations among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. Funding for the center comes from the U.S. government, with additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and the governments of the region.