The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The former foreign minister of the now-defunct Khmer Rouge movement plans to appeal to Cambodia's genocide tribunal against his pretrial detention, a court spokesman said Sunday.
The United Nations-assisted tribunal has charged Ieng Sary, 82, with crimes against humanity and war crimes and he will appear on Monday to press for his release, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said.
Ieng Sary is one of five defendants being held by the tribunal, which plans to begin its first trial later this year. His wife, 76-year-old Ieng Thirith, who served as the Khmer Rouge's social affairs minister, is also being held on charges of crimes against humanity.
The tribunal, jointly run by Cambodian and international personnel, attempts to establish accountability for the atrocities committed by the communist group when it ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
The group's radical policies resulted in the deaths of about 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.
In their detention order in November, the investigating judges said Ieng Sary is being prosecuted for supporting Khmer Rouge policies that were "characterized by murder, extermination, imprisonment, persecution on political grounds and other inhuman acts such as forcible transfers of the population, enslavement and forced labor."
Ieng Sary has dismissed the charges against him as "unacceptable" and demanded evidence to support them, according to a copy of his detention order.
He and his wife belonged to the inner circle of the Khmer Rouge and were in-laws to the movement's late leader Pol Pot, who was married to Khieu Ponnary, Ieng Thirith's sister. Ieng Thirith took her husband's surname after they got married.
In 1996, Ieng Sary received a royal pardon from former King Norodom Sihanouk as a reward for breaking away from Pol Pot and leading his followers to join the government. The mutiny foreshadowed the Khmer Rouge collapse three years later in 1999.
But the pardon had no bearing on the Cambodia-U.N. tribunal pact. Similar appeals by other defendants have failed, Reach Smabath said.
Ieng Sary's lawyers could not be reached for comment Sunday.
Three other suspects in custody awaiting trial are Khieu Samphan, the former head of state, Nuon Chea, the former chief ideologist, and Kaing Guek Eav - also known as Duch - who headed the Khmer Rouge's S-21 torture center.
The tribunal has said it plans to start Duch's trial in September.
The United Nations-assisted tribunal has charged Ieng Sary, 82, with crimes against humanity and war crimes and he will appear on Monday to press for his release, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said.
Ieng Sary is one of five defendants being held by the tribunal, which plans to begin its first trial later this year. His wife, 76-year-old Ieng Thirith, who served as the Khmer Rouge's social affairs minister, is also being held on charges of crimes against humanity.
The tribunal, jointly run by Cambodian and international personnel, attempts to establish accountability for the atrocities committed by the communist group when it ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
The group's radical policies resulted in the deaths of about 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.
In their detention order in November, the investigating judges said Ieng Sary is being prosecuted for supporting Khmer Rouge policies that were "characterized by murder, extermination, imprisonment, persecution on political grounds and other inhuman acts such as forcible transfers of the population, enslavement and forced labor."
Ieng Sary has dismissed the charges against him as "unacceptable" and demanded evidence to support them, according to a copy of his detention order.
He and his wife belonged to the inner circle of the Khmer Rouge and were in-laws to the movement's late leader Pol Pot, who was married to Khieu Ponnary, Ieng Thirith's sister. Ieng Thirith took her husband's surname after they got married.
In 1996, Ieng Sary received a royal pardon from former King Norodom Sihanouk as a reward for breaking away from Pol Pot and leading his followers to join the government. The mutiny foreshadowed the Khmer Rouge collapse three years later in 1999.
But the pardon had no bearing on the Cambodia-U.N. tribunal pact. Similar appeals by other defendants have failed, Reach Smabath said.
Ieng Sary's lawyers could not be reached for comment Sunday.
Three other suspects in custody awaiting trial are Khieu Samphan, the former head of state, Nuon Chea, the former chief ideologist, and Kaing Guek Eav - also known as Duch - who headed the Khmer Rouge's S-21 torture center.
The tribunal has said it plans to start Duch's trial in September.
3 comments:
I would like to request UN Tribunal that please do not let all 5 Khmer Rough Leaders come out from detention and if let them out may the A Yuon/Vietnamese Vampire to suck their blood, because A Yuon/Vietnamese so scare the former Khmer Rough Leaders tell the Khmer Rough Tribunal the true and all the killing are A Yuon/Vietnamese Hidden Face The Killing Field, and I am also want to telling all the former Khmer Rough Leaders that now the times all you should tell the Khmer Rough Tribunal the true that all the murder is A Yuon/Vietnamese to killing our Khmer/Cambodian peoples during Khmer Rough regime from 1975 to 1979 and from 1979 to 1992 dont't waiting so long to tell the KR Tribunal wasting the times and the money, when all former Khmer Rough Leaders to dicide to tell please don't forget to telling the Khmer Rough Tribunal that event now still have a yuon/vietnamese army in Cambodia and they wearing Cambodian army uniform and more than 5 millions a yuon/Vietnamese peoples to living illegal in Cambodia and now before election on date 27 July 2008 a yuon/Vietnamese government send their peoples come to Cambodia more than 5 millions to vote and supporting Hun Sen, so Hun Sen never lost each election alway win, if other party win the election the new Cambodian government will send all illegal a yuon/vietnamese go back to Vietnam, so please KR Tribunal to help to tell all Cambodian peoples in side Cambodia vote for Mr.Sam Reangsy better than keep Hun Sen a yuon/Vietnamese slaving & dog, from the Real Cambodian not a Khmer/Yuon, PS: I am also wanting to remind all the Khmer/Yuon should be wake up because a Yuon/Vietnamese after using you they'll kill you not keeping you at all trust me, just for an example only if you hire someone to killing me after that killer will report to the Police and don't dump to continouing work for a yuon/Vietnamese
No, we preferred yuon to trial the Khmer Rouge and Ah Khmer-Yuon killers than the ECCC.
Now we need the money that these KR leaders stole from the Khmer people back.
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