Bridging Divides in Transitional Justice by Cheryl S. White

Dialogue on the suppressed past began in 2006 as key figures of the regime were brought before the in situ internationalized criminal court, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). This book engages with the dissonance between the expressivism of idealized international criminal trials and their communicative or discursive value within the societies most affected by their operation. An alternative view of the transitional trial is posited as the author elucidates the limits of expressivism and explores the communicative dynamics of ECCC trial procedure which have precipitated unprecedented local debate and reflection on the Khmer Rouge era. From transcripts of the proceedings, exchanges between trial participants-including witnesses, civil parties and the accused-are examined to show how, at times, the retributive proceedings assumed the character of restorative justice and encompassed significant dialogue on current social issues, such as the victim/perpetrator equation and the nature of ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder flowing from the events that took place under this violent regime.

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