Up to a quarter of Cambodia's population died in the four years of Khmer Rouge rule [Reuters] WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2007
Al Jazeera
A meeting of Cambodian and international judges has approved rules for the prosecution of former Khmer Rouge leaders, clearing the way for the long-delayed genocide trials to begin.
The decision ends months of infighting and clears the last major roadblock to beginning court proceedings.
"These rules will ensure us ... fair and transparent trials," co-prosecutor Robert Petit told reporters, adding they had been adopted unanimously.
"Now that the rules are adopted, we can move forward."
He said that Cambodian and foreign prosecutors who have been building cases against former Khmer Rouge leaders would probably send those files on to investigating judges within weeks.
The rules announced on Wednesday in Phnom Penh will govern every aspect of the United Nations-backed tribunal's operations.
The tribunal was set up last year, but agreements over the court process had been held up because of wrangling over legal fees and procedures.
The delays mean that the trials proper are unlikely to start before early 2008, officials say.
Counter-revolutionaries
Up to two million Cambodians died from hunger, disease, overwork or execution during the Khmer Rouge rule over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
The radical communist group had sought to transform Cambodia into their version of an agrarian utopia, clearing the cities, abolishing money, closing schools and wiping out anyone - such as intellectuals and professionals - who they saw as counter-revolutionaries.
The repeated delays in starting up the trial process has raised concerns that the ageing Khmer Rouge leaders would die before being brought to court.
Pol Pot, the so-called "Brother Number One" of the Khmer Rouge, died in a jungle hideout close to the Thai border in 1998.
Ta Mok, the group's military commander, who earned the nickname "The Butcher", died in prison last July.
The likely first defendants to appear before the tribunal include "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister, Khieu Samphan, the former president of the Khmer Rouge government and Duch, head of the infamous S-21 interrogation and torture centre in Phnom Penh.
The decision ends months of infighting and clears the last major roadblock to beginning court proceedings.
"These rules will ensure us ... fair and transparent trials," co-prosecutor Robert Petit told reporters, adding they had been adopted unanimously.
"Now that the rules are adopted, we can move forward."
He said that Cambodian and foreign prosecutors who have been building cases against former Khmer Rouge leaders would probably send those files on to investigating judges within weeks.
The rules announced on Wednesday in Phnom Penh will govern every aspect of the United Nations-backed tribunal's operations.
The tribunal was set up last year, but agreements over the court process had been held up because of wrangling over legal fees and procedures.
The delays mean that the trials proper are unlikely to start before early 2008, officials say.
Counter-revolutionaries
Up to two million Cambodians died from hunger, disease, overwork or execution during the Khmer Rouge rule over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
The radical communist group had sought to transform Cambodia into their version of an agrarian utopia, clearing the cities, abolishing money, closing schools and wiping out anyone - such as intellectuals and professionals - who they saw as counter-revolutionaries.
The repeated delays in starting up the trial process has raised concerns that the ageing Khmer Rouge leaders would die before being brought to court.
Pol Pot, the so-called "Brother Number One" of the Khmer Rouge, died in a jungle hideout close to the Thai border in 1998.
Ta Mok, the group's military commander, who earned the nickname "The Butcher", died in prison last July.
The likely first defendants to appear before the tribunal include "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister, Khieu Samphan, the former president of the Khmer Rouge government and Duch, head of the infamous S-21 interrogation and torture centre in Phnom Penh.
2 comments:
I happy to share my idea on the Khmer rouge tribunal, the problems that barrier to the tribunal process i think that if PM Hun Sen still on the power even though the UN and other countries support more that 56 millions but the trial still can not process, If the United Nation and other countries want to provide the justice to Cambodian people they should help to change the leader first to find out the leader that love peace, justice, Human Rights and love the Nation.So if not change the Government all of countries in the world couldn't find the justice to the victims during Pol Pot regime because all thing related to Hun Sen and few of officials. If you want to see the justice come to victims in Cambodia maybe we wait long time in the next five generations.
The best news in the long time!!!!
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