Dec 4, 2008DPA
Phnom Penh - A former leader of Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rogue regime told a war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh Thursday he could not understand why he was facing charges of crimes against humanity, saying he had 'always acted in the best interests of the Cambodian people.'
Khieu Samphan said in his closing statement to a heated pre-trial hearing of the UN-backed Khmer Rogue Tribunal he was innocent of all charges and there was insufficient evidence to support his detention.
'I do not understand why I am being charged for crimes against humanity and I do not know why I am being told there are so many documents that implicate me,' he said.
The 77-year-old former head-of-state is one of six former leaders facing trial for their roles in the death of up to two million people though execution, starvation or exhaustion during the Khmer Rogue's rule between 1975 and 1979.
During the hearing Khieu Samphan's lawyers appealed a previous court order not to translate more than 60,000 pages of documentary evidence into French - the native language of one his defense councilors, the controversial French lawyer Jacques Verges.
'If my lawyers had been able to understand these documents then my detention may not have been extended,' said Khieu Samphan, who has already served one year in detention but has not yet been indicted by the tribunal.
The court extended his detention for an additional year in November.
Verges, who has previously represented Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and terrorist Ramirez Sanchez (aka Carlos the Jackal), argued the court's decision had jeopardized his client's right to a fair trial and called for Khieu Samphan to be released.
'[The co-prosecutors] said we were given translations of the submissions. This is a lie. We received introductory submissions but three months late. We have not yet received supplementary submissions,' he said.
'The prosecution is mocking me, but I am wearing robes that give me dignity, not the slippers of a servant. I will return to France with dignity and be applauded when I arrive,' he added.
But prosecutors argued the decision complied with the rules of the tribunal, which they said did not require all documents to be translated into the court's three working languages - French, English and Khmer.
'As long as the accused person can understand the documents it is not necessary for them to be translated into the native languages of his council,' co-prosecutor William Smith said.
The court adjourned and a date for a ruling on the appeal will be set, but the defence team continued its argument at a media conference outside the court chamber.
An animated Verges described the court's failure to translate the documents as an 'injustice,' before challenging the prosecutors - who were present at the conference venue - to a debate over the trial in front of the media.
'We are here to defend his honour, but I am told we cannot because translating these documents is too expensive. If it cost one dollar to translate each document it would only cost 30,000 dollars to do. There is a huge difference between this amount and the 5 million dollars France has donated to the tribunal. Where has this money gone?' Verges said.
A brief shouting match also broke out during the conference between Cambodian co-defence lawyer Sa Sovan and representatives of Khmer Rouge victims.
The Khmer Rogue Tribunal was established in 2006 after a decade of negotiations between the UN and the Cambodian government and the first trial is due to begin in January 2009.
Khieu Samphan said in his closing statement to a heated pre-trial hearing of the UN-backed Khmer Rogue Tribunal he was innocent of all charges and there was insufficient evidence to support his detention.
'I do not understand why I am being charged for crimes against humanity and I do not know why I am being told there are so many documents that implicate me,' he said.
The 77-year-old former head-of-state is one of six former leaders facing trial for their roles in the death of up to two million people though execution, starvation or exhaustion during the Khmer Rogue's rule between 1975 and 1979.
During the hearing Khieu Samphan's lawyers appealed a previous court order not to translate more than 60,000 pages of documentary evidence into French - the native language of one his defense councilors, the controversial French lawyer Jacques Verges.
'If my lawyers had been able to understand these documents then my detention may not have been extended,' said Khieu Samphan, who has already served one year in detention but has not yet been indicted by the tribunal.
The court extended his detention for an additional year in November.
Verges, who has previously represented Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and terrorist Ramirez Sanchez (aka Carlos the Jackal), argued the court's decision had jeopardized his client's right to a fair trial and called for Khieu Samphan to be released.
'[The co-prosecutors] said we were given translations of the submissions. This is a lie. We received introductory submissions but three months late. We have not yet received supplementary submissions,' he said.
'The prosecution is mocking me, but I am wearing robes that give me dignity, not the slippers of a servant. I will return to France with dignity and be applauded when I arrive,' he added.
But prosecutors argued the decision complied with the rules of the tribunal, which they said did not require all documents to be translated into the court's three working languages - French, English and Khmer.
'As long as the accused person can understand the documents it is not necessary for them to be translated into the native languages of his council,' co-prosecutor William Smith said.
The court adjourned and a date for a ruling on the appeal will be set, but the defence team continued its argument at a media conference outside the court chamber.
An animated Verges described the court's failure to translate the documents as an 'injustice,' before challenging the prosecutors - who were present at the conference venue - to a debate over the trial in front of the media.
'We are here to defend his honour, but I am told we cannot because translating these documents is too expensive. If it cost one dollar to translate each document it would only cost 30,000 dollars to do. There is a huge difference between this amount and the 5 million dollars France has donated to the tribunal. Where has this money gone?' Verges said.
A brief shouting match also broke out during the conference between Cambodian co-defence lawyer Sa Sovan and representatives of Khmer Rouge victims.
The Khmer Rogue Tribunal was established in 2006 after a decade of negotiations between the UN and the Cambodian government and the first trial is due to begin in January 2009.
18 comments:
Khieu Samphan - How can you claim your innocence when you were the president of the regime that killed over 2 million people? You deserved to be shot 100 times.
Ah tmil khmer rouge killed 2 079 087 innocent khmer and replaced by 4 576 879 Immigrant Viets.
we people khmer,we need Peace,Independence,Real justice.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=KHb_K_tOS6k&feature=related
Smashed his head and threw him into the grave, like he did to the people.
May Buddha Sreiy Aar Metreiy save people khmer.
http://fr.youtube.com/user/maitreyaproject
"vita tonhor atcha teanor nirutti patakor vito akhareanain sani batain chhugna pugna paranicha savé anti masareiy morha pagnor morha burisor ti vucha vati"
"DONE WITH CRAVING FREE FROM GRASPING,SKILLED IN THE ETYMOLOGY OF TERM(of the teaching)KNOWING THE ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS IN DUE ORDER,-IT IS HE WHO IS CALLED THE BEARER OF THE FINAL BODY,ONE OF PROFOUND WISDOM,A GREAT MAN"
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Htc4PbnssOE
Take out his two eyes for the best of the motherfucker heath!
Ah Corrupted ECCC must stops abusing Human Rights in the Kingdom.
not only this KR regime was ultimately abusing human rights and killing cambodian people during its darkest period, they starved, deprived and executed anyone they didn't trust or any with any hint of former education, skill, soldiers, former gov't workers, etc., etc,... the list just goes on and on and on... and now the few of their leaders who are still living say that they are not responsible or did not know anything about it? just look at the evidence of how they took cambodia backward and how they emptied cambodian cities and deprived its khmer people of food, medicine, how they abolish school and any form of modernity, etc... and now they try to conceal their criminal policy? only a loser and a weak one would do that! just look at the overwhelming evidence that they destroyed cambodia, and most of cambodian people and cambodia as society and culture, tradition, etc had to be rebuilt and almost got wiped out. and now they go on to say they're not responsible? how pathetic can they be? i say hang them all for doing that to cambodia!!!
2:01 AM, do some reading and research about the truth it could help your empty accusation.
Just hang khiev samphan ,his lawyer, and Sihanouk altogether and be done with it.Fuck
and of course, the KR regime incriminated people, too. that's why their regime was short-lived. just ask any ordinary khmer survivor and they can tell you as well. god bless cambodia.
if khmer rouge leader are innocent, then who is quilty?
Somebody got to explain it. Why don't they just say who did or involved. Its not complicated!
The truth must be revealed! Someone is responsible.
questions should be what good or bad things came out of the KR regime era, for cambodia and the rest of the world to learn from?
the KR was someone's policy gone wrong, a personal mistake of the leader(s); so, please learn from that mistake!! thank you.
Despite his claim, he is still responsible for the Mass Killing of the Cambodian people.
Why waste time tryout this lunatic in court. He desires to die in jail for the crimes against humanity or hang him high…
Where are the KR's supporters--please explain yourself or should we blame the Viet?
All dictators always claimed they did it for the best interest of their people. Don't let any of the KR leaders get away. It will be a good example so other younger generation including current should not act or practice cruelty the way the KR had done.
A true dedicated leader would kill themself when their regime failed. This one has no shame.
Each of those involved claimed their innocence and each of those with hatred and revenge asking for the death of doers.
Can death bring lives to those dead? I do not think so.
I and my family were also one of the victims. To me as a Khmer Innocent, the criminals must be brough to court and sentenced. Absolutely no argument about this!
On top of this we must unveil THE FACT OR THE ROOTS OF THE PROBLEM as what/who..... behind this genocidal ideology. So that to let Khmer next generations to understand Khmer history very clearly to avoid them falling in the same trap.
yes, and also ask them what was the purpose of them doing what they did to cambodia back then. what did they try to achieve, then by killing off people and destroying cambodia at the same time? what's that all about? yes, brainstorming can bring out a lot of answers and ideas, etc... in school, i was taught to always wonder and ask questions. thank you.
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