Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Program focuses on Cambodia



By The Capital-Journal
January 11, 2010
via CAAI News Media

Former Washburn University student Samantha Gassie will present "Seeking Justice After Genocide: International Courts and the Cambodian Experience" at 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 102 at the Washburn School of Law, near S.W. 18th and McVicar. The event is sponsored by the Topeka Center for Peace and Justice.

The procedures developed to deal with the Cambodian genocide of 1975 to 1979 provide a useful insight into possible mechanisms for prosecuting perpetrators of genocide. The Cambodian court cases involve a delicate balancing act of international and national court systems, accompanied by a rigorous effort to establish the basic factual record of Pol Pot's brutal Khmer Rouge regime.

Basing her presentation on interviews conducted in Cambodia as well as available primary sources and secondary works, Gassie will examine the development of the tribunals that are now conducting genocide trials in Cambodia. Bob Beatty, associate professor of political science at Washburn, will also participate.

Gassie received her bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree of liberal studies from Washburn. She is pursuing a doctorate degree in political science with a major in comparative politics and a minor in international relations at Arizona State University.

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