Written by Georgia Wilkins
The Phnom Penh Post
Defence lawyers challenge prosecutors to informal debate
FORMER Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan told judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal Thursday that he did "not understand" why he was standing trial for crimes against humanity during an appeals hearing that ended in disarray, as defence lawyers argued heatedly with visibly upset victims outside the courtroom.
"I have always worked on the side of my country," the frail-looking septuagenarian told judges. "I don't understand why I am being charged with crimes against humanity."
Co-lawyers Jacques Verges and Sa Sovan, who profess to speak only Khmer and French, were appealing an earlier court decision that denied full translation of their client's case file to French, claiming it prevented a fair trial.
"There are 60,000 documents in this case, and so far only 2.5 percent have been translated into French," Verges told the court. "The UN secretary general agreed with me that all documents need to be translated into the three working languages, but perhaps the president of the tribunal would like to tell the UN to get a new secretary general?"
Co-prosecutors argued it was only necessary for the accused person to understand the documents, not his lawyers, suggesting that Khieu Samphan could get a different counsel.
"The prosecution is mocking me," retorted Verges, who has made a career of defending some of history's most notorious criminals, including Nazi Klaus Barbie.
Khieu Samphan told the court he was sick and unable to think clearly, claiming that "if my counsel had been able to understand these documents, then my detention might not have been extended". A ruling is expected at a later date.
At a press conference after the hearing, Verges and Sa Sovan invited the co-prosecutors to participate in a debate outside the court, leading to a bitter row between Sa Sovan and angered victims in the crowd.
"You, co-lawyer, you speak too much. Why not let the victims speak too? We are here but cannot speak," one woman shouted. "My parents were killed during the Khmer Rouge regime. How can you ... say he did not kill people?"
Sa Sovan replied that his mother had also died under the regime, as he and Verges left the room escorted by court officials.
"We don't want a trial through the media," co-prosecutor William Smith told reporters after the incident, adding there were only 3,000 documents still to translate.
FORMER Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan told judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal Thursday that he did "not understand" why he was standing trial for crimes against humanity during an appeals hearing that ended in disarray, as defence lawyers argued heatedly with visibly upset victims outside the courtroom.
"I have always worked on the side of my country," the frail-looking septuagenarian told judges. "I don't understand why I am being charged with crimes against humanity."
Co-lawyers Jacques Verges and Sa Sovan, who profess to speak only Khmer and French, were appealing an earlier court decision that denied full translation of their client's case file to French, claiming it prevented a fair trial.
"There are 60,000 documents in this case, and so far only 2.5 percent have been translated into French," Verges told the court. "The UN secretary general agreed with me that all documents need to be translated into the three working languages, but perhaps the president of the tribunal would like to tell the UN to get a new secretary general?"
Co-prosecutors argued it was only necessary for the accused person to understand the documents, not his lawyers, suggesting that Khieu Samphan could get a different counsel.
"The prosecution is mocking me," retorted Verges, who has made a career of defending some of history's most notorious criminals, including Nazi Klaus Barbie.
Khieu Samphan told the court he was sick and unable to think clearly, claiming that "if my counsel had been able to understand these documents, then my detention might not have been extended". A ruling is expected at a later date.
At a press conference after the hearing, Verges and Sa Sovan invited the co-prosecutors to participate in a debate outside the court, leading to a bitter row between Sa Sovan and angered victims in the crowd.
"You, co-lawyer, you speak too much. Why not let the victims speak too? We are here but cannot speak," one woman shouted. "My parents were killed during the Khmer Rouge regime. How can you ... say he did not kill people?"
Sa Sovan replied that his mother had also died under the regime, as he and Verges left the room escorted by court officials.
"We don't want a trial through the media," co-prosecutor William Smith told reporters after the incident, adding there were only 3,000 documents still to translate.
13 comments:
2M Khmers died or got executed during the regime with Samphan as head of state.
Event after the Khmer Rouge collapse and the world acknowledged KR genocide, Samphan chose to continue to work closely with Pol Pot and deny the crimes.
is he saying that as one of the KR regime leadership, he failed to see the obvious destructions their stupid, backward regime did to cambodia, given they implemented the many crazy policies, for instance, like the call to abolish the education system, abolishing the money system, the economy, the infrastructure, the freedom of the press, the freedom of traveling and most importantly, putting the entire population to work to exhaustion from starvation, sickness, torturing, abusing people's lives, etc..., etc... is he nuts? he may be working on the side of the country, alright, but he, as one of their leadership failed time and again to call for the protection of people's lives and rights, etc... what kind of leader was that; he was obviously one of the bad guys out there! look, we're not stupid, ok! what he and his "angkor leu people" did was very injustice, to say the least, my god! they should pay for their stupid, ambitious, backward, idiot mistakes or whatever they did to cambodia and the khmer people who have dies and suffered under their hellous regime!
their KR regime have no sympathy nor compassion for people's lives, let alone the sake of cambodia such as our rich culture, tradition, custom, etc., etc... they are pure evil and purely stupid beyond even an animal on this planet. they were brainwashed to kill people they deemed anything they want to deem. there was no justice whatsoever during their reign of terror. and now they say they did not do anything wrong!!! are we that stupid to buy that!!!
What Khieu Samphan did mean to say he always worked on the side of Cambodia c'est moi...
He insinuated the ECCC needs to get the killing fields chief , Xihanouk,for the crimes.He wasmerely a working bee.
1:16, ah pleu, KR destroyed Viet Cong. Unless you are son of a yuon whore bitch, why would you support Viet Cong?
If you so dumb, why don't you go get stuffed?
from anh to haing, ah pleu at 1:16.
In his defense, K. Samphan has only 2 legal arguments to play with:
1 - He had no power.
2 - He had no knowledge of the killings/starvation.
Prosecutors produce hundred of pages of documents and witnesses that show that he was part of/attending many decision making process. Duch is one witness.
The KR trial is not to find JUSTICE for all khmer victims, but a scenario made by Viet invaders and their Puppet Regime of Mafia Hun Sen for the interests of Vietnam to Vietnamise Cambodia, and incorporated her into Viet Indochinbese Federation, Ho Chi MInh's ambitiom.
All KHmers should know the thruth about this Viet political game.
And don't forget the K-5 which had killed Khmers one million or so.
And 5-6 millions Viets illegals immigrants resettling throughout Cambodia, especially Tonle Sap.
Angkor Wat was handling by Sok Kong, ex-Vietcong General. The monies collected were transferred into Hanoi Bank Account.
The author of Norna Chea Kheatakor Reas Khmers ?
The corrupted ECCC must translates all documents per prescribed rules.
The top leader of khmer rouge are:
MAO,IENG SARY,SIHANOUK,LE DUC THO,POLPOT,NUON CHEA,DUCH,PHAM VANDONG...etc
"Pour la Chine, la France est le maillon faible de l'Europe"
Après avoir renoncé à rencontrer le dalaï-lama en août à Paris, Nicolas Sarkozy a finalement annoncé qu'il rencontrerait le chef spirituel tibétain en Pologne samedi 6 décembre. Réplique immédiate de Pékin : le sommet Chine-UE, prévu le 1er décembre à Lyon, a été annulé. Jeudi, la Chine a été plus loin, menaçant Paris de mesures de rétorsion économique. Jean-Vincent Brisset, directeur de recherche à l'Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques, et spécialiste de la Chine, explique les raisons de l'intransigeance de Pékin.
3:43 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Comment rétablir des relations plus saines avec la Chine ?
Il y a heureusement beaucoup de gens en Europe qui commencent à comprendre que la Chine n'est pas un pays ami. C'est un pays égoïste qui a des rapports rugueux avec le reste du monde, avec lequel il faut prendre un peu de distance. Cela s'est ressenti dans les premières déclarations européennes après l'annulation du sommet Chine-UE : Manuel Barroso a commencé par expliquer que le problème concernait toute l'Europe, pas seulement la France, et surtout qu'il y avait un problèm e du côté chinois. La Chine attend maintenant de voir si Sarkozy ira bien voir le dalaï-lama en Pologne. Elle teste la solidité de l'Europe, pas de la France : si elle impose des mesures de rétorsion bilatérales contre la France et que les Européens laissent faire, elle aura tout gagné. Mais si la France se retranche derrière l'Europe et que l'UE reste solidaire, ça se passera très bien. Si l'Europe faiblit, la Chine pourra piétiner tous les pays européens l'un après l'autre, sauf la Grande-Bretagne, qui ne se laissera jamais faire.
4:34 AM
le monde 04 12 08
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=P0tkI2dO8_A&feature=related
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=8yEhkzAWgHs&feature=related
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=KHb_K_tOS6k&feature=related
ECCC come on and dance with khmer,
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=1iT09V1Ro44&NR=1
Ah Scam Rainxy is responsible if the ECCC failed to prosecute those who massacred Khmer people.
ah HUN SEN is responsible all the killing field that brough vietcong to enterminated all khmer .
What Khmer? There is none in Cambodia. Would Khmer steal from Khmer?
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