IRRC No. 910
Perspectives on memory, forgiveness and reconciliation in Cambodia’s post-Khmer Rouge society
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Abstract
Transitional justice is a conspicuous feature of responses to mass atrocities. Rooted in
accountability and redress for victims, transitional justice mechanisms influence and
are influenced by collective memory of conflicts. This article looks at the dynamics
between memory, trauma and forgiveness in Cambodia. Thirty years after the
Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodians expressed limited knowledge of the past, a
strong desire for the truth, and lingering feelings of hatred. The Extraordinary
Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) created or renewed demand for truth, along with some desire for harm to come to the wrongdoers. Although the ECCC
was set up several decades after the mass atrocities, the data suggest that the ECCC
and the civil society movement associated with it may have had positive outcomes
on addressing the legacy of the violence.