The Khmer Rouge tribunal last week announced a series of seminars for Cambodian law students on subjects pertaining to international law and human rights, with the aim of giving students a better understanding of the field as well as “foster[ing] interaction between [the court’s] jurists and academia”.

Eighty students will participate. The first of the 10 seminars – offered in cooperation with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law – will be held on Tuesday.

Part of the tribunal’s hoped-for legacy is a stronger domestic legal system, and the Cambodian Justice Initiative’s Panhavuth Long said yesterday that the seminars were a step in the right direction. However, he added, it is important for the tribunal to devote dedicated funding to legacy projects, and to implement a “comprehensive strategy”.

“Most of [the legacy work] is done by NGOs, and while the [court] is a participant, they haven’t taken the lead,” he said.