PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - The crimes allegedly committed by the chief of the Khmer Rouge's torture center three decades ago were so grievous they could still spark violence among the public, Cambodia's international genocide tribunal warned Wednesday.
Duch, 64, also known as Kaing Guek Eav, became the first top Khmer Rouge figure to be indicted for atrocities that led to an estimated 1.7 million deaths during the communist group's 1975-79 reign of terror. He was charged with crimes against humanity by a combined panel of foreign and Cambodian judges on Tuesday.
The former schoolteacher headed the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, a virtual slaughterhouse where some 16,000 suspected enemies of the regime were tortured before being taken out and executed on what later became known as the «killing fields» near the city. Only about a dozen prisoners are thought to have survived. The site is now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Anger at the Khmer Rouge's brutal reign runs deep in Cambodia. The tribunal - officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia - said the possibility of a violent backlash was one reason it declined to free Duch on bail.
He might also pressure witnesses if he were at large, the tribunal said in its detention order.
The order, posted Wednesday on the tribunal's Web site, cited prosecutors' allegations that under Duch's authority, countless abuses were committed against civilians, including «arbitrary detention, torture and other inhumane acts, (and) mass executions, which occurred within a political context of widespread or systematic abuses and constitute crimes against humanity.
«He is implicated by many documents and several witnesses,» it added.
Cambodia's holocaust was the first major instance of genocide of the late 20th century, which saw as many as one-fifth of the country's citizens die as a result of the radical policies of the Khmer Rouge and their leader, the late Pol Pot.
But until this year, when personnel and facilities for the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal were finally in place, the perpetrators remained mostly at large, leaving the victims of the «killing fields» little hope of justice.
The detention order cited Duch as acknowledging he headed S-21 and was «ready to reveal the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge.
Duch also claimed he had no reason to try to influence witnesses against him, whose identities he was unaware of, it said. It gave his birth date as November 17, 1942, contradicting other accounts that he is 62 years old.
Duch's current provisional detention will last up to one year and can be extended for another year if the investigating judges uncover new crimes in which he was implicated, said tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath.
According to tribunal rules, the maximum penalty for conviction of crimes falling within its jurisdiction is life imprisonment.
Duch's lawyer - who was not named - challenged the detention on the basis «that the other suspects remain at liberty,» and requested his client be released on bail, according to the order.
Prosecutors have recommended another four top Khmer Rouge leaders be prosecuted by the U.N.-backed tribunal, although their names have not been made public. Trials are expected to begin early next year.
Duch, 64, also known as Kaing Guek Eav, became the first top Khmer Rouge figure to be indicted for atrocities that led to an estimated 1.7 million deaths during the communist group's 1975-79 reign of terror. He was charged with crimes against humanity by a combined panel of foreign and Cambodian judges on Tuesday.
The former schoolteacher headed the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, a virtual slaughterhouse where some 16,000 suspected enemies of the regime were tortured before being taken out and executed on what later became known as the «killing fields» near the city. Only about a dozen prisoners are thought to have survived. The site is now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Anger at the Khmer Rouge's brutal reign runs deep in Cambodia. The tribunal - officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia - said the possibility of a violent backlash was one reason it declined to free Duch on bail.
He might also pressure witnesses if he were at large, the tribunal said in its detention order.
The order, posted Wednesday on the tribunal's Web site, cited prosecutors' allegations that under Duch's authority, countless abuses were committed against civilians, including «arbitrary detention, torture and other inhumane acts, (and) mass executions, which occurred within a political context of widespread or systematic abuses and constitute crimes against humanity.
«He is implicated by many documents and several witnesses,» it added.
Cambodia's holocaust was the first major instance of genocide of the late 20th century, which saw as many as one-fifth of the country's citizens die as a result of the radical policies of the Khmer Rouge and their leader, the late Pol Pot.
But until this year, when personnel and facilities for the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal were finally in place, the perpetrators remained mostly at large, leaving the victims of the «killing fields» little hope of justice.
The detention order cited Duch as acknowledging he headed S-21 and was «ready to reveal the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge.
Duch also claimed he had no reason to try to influence witnesses against him, whose identities he was unaware of, it said. It gave his birth date as November 17, 1942, contradicting other accounts that he is 62 years old.
Duch's current provisional detention will last up to one year and can be extended for another year if the investigating judges uncover new crimes in which he was implicated, said tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath.
According to tribunal rules, the maximum penalty for conviction of crimes falling within its jurisdiction is life imprisonment.
Duch's lawyer - who was not named - challenged the detention on the basis «that the other suspects remain at liberty,» and requested his client be released on bail, according to the order.
Prosecutors have recommended another four top Khmer Rouge leaders be prosecuted by the U.N.-backed tribunal, although their names have not been made public. Trials are expected to begin early next year.
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