Duch in court on Tuesday morning, after saying he prays for forgiveness all the time. (Photo by: GEORGIA WILKINS)Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Written by Georgia Wilkins
The Phnom Penh Post
Tuol Sleng prison chief admits to praying for forgiveness, as lawyers exhibit video footage they said shows his remorse.
DEFENCE lawyers at Cambodia's war crimes court played footage Tuesday of their client, former S-21 chief Kaing Guek Eav, breaking down in tears during a 2008 speech to Khmer Rouge victims, prompting the former prison chief to declare that he prays for forgiveness from the prison's victims "all the time".
After prosecutors argued Monday that the born-again Christian, known as Duch, was downplaying his seniority in the regime, defence lawyers Tuesday hoped to portray their client as full of remorse.
"My father gave me life to do good deeds for the nation and the people, but I did the opposite," Duch said from the dock.
"I [pray] all the time, I ask forgiveness from my parents, from my teachers and finally I ask forgiveness from the victims," he said.
The defence's footage was three minutes of a recording of Duch at the Choeung Ek killing fields and S-21 that was conducted in the investigative stage of his trial.
Earlier, lawyers had urged their client to tell "the world and the public" who was really responsible for the crimes he was on trial for.
Duch responded that the orders had come from Nuon Chea and Pol Pot, but that they were passed through the party line via "a criminal mechanism".
Double identity
Duch, who admitted on Tuesday that S-21 was "not a prison, [but] a place to store people before killing", has juggled the dual personae of a victim of the regime's policy and a knowing, but regretful, party to torture and killing at its behest.
"I was a coward and beyond because I betrayed my friends and my teachers in order to survive," the 66-year-old told Swiss civil party lawyer Alain Werner.
Werner asked Duch whether he knowingly starved prisoners.
"It's a crime against humanity that everyone fell into, including myself, that I had enough rice in my hands, but I dared not take it to the prisoners who were detained in Phnom Penh," Duch said.
The court was closed for a trial management meeting in the afternoon that had been originally scheduled for Thursday.
However, defence lawyer Francois Roux announced he had a personal problem and would have to return to France that evening.
DEFENCE lawyers at Cambodia's war crimes court played footage Tuesday of their client, former S-21 chief Kaing Guek Eav, breaking down in tears during a 2008 speech to Khmer Rouge victims, prompting the former prison chief to declare that he prays for forgiveness from the prison's victims "all the time".
After prosecutors argued Monday that the born-again Christian, known as Duch, was downplaying his seniority in the regime, defence lawyers Tuesday hoped to portray their client as full of remorse.
"My father gave me life to do good deeds for the nation and the people, but I did the opposite," Duch said from the dock.
"I [pray] all the time, I ask forgiveness from my parents, from my teachers and finally I ask forgiveness from the victims," he said.
The defence's footage was three minutes of a recording of Duch at the Choeung Ek killing fields and S-21 that was conducted in the investigative stage of his trial.
Earlier, lawyers had urged their client to tell "the world and the public" who was really responsible for the crimes he was on trial for.
Duch responded that the orders had come from Nuon Chea and Pol Pot, but that they were passed through the party line via "a criminal mechanism".
Double identity
Duch, who admitted on Tuesday that S-21 was "not a prison, [but] a place to store people before killing", has juggled the dual personae of a victim of the regime's policy and a knowing, but regretful, party to torture and killing at its behest.
"I was a coward and beyond because I betrayed my friends and my teachers in order to survive," the 66-year-old told Swiss civil party lawyer Alain Werner.
Werner asked Duch whether he knowingly starved prisoners.
"It's a crime against humanity that everyone fell into, including myself, that I had enough rice in my hands, but I dared not take it to the prisoners who were detained in Phnom Penh," Duch said.
The court was closed for a trial management meeting in the afternoon that had been originally scheduled for Thursday.
However, defence lawyer Francois Roux announced he had a personal problem and would have to return to France that evening.
12 comments:
We must put Ah Duch in prision for rest of his life even he die.
Back then, when the innocents OF 1.7 millions of the population pray and asked for forgiveness did he and POL POT forgive them ? NO..I think not.
Let us all let him feels the pains of the innocents victims.
Khmer USA
12:03AM You Khmer Ey Ke Dea? I think you khmer kwasscheatsrey mane te?
gentleman
Duch only committed murder for about 1,5000 prisoners,and WHO did the rest?.
suspects of ringleader should be called for trial in order to put this ugly part of the history at rest.
knowing many who were in charge still hiding away is NOT just.
Please ensure the ECCC task completed,rather than half done.
Thank you.
Neang SA
The better people or someone who is better. Should never be like this guy Duch, hun sen, pol pot or youns and thais. These evil people make khmer and asian look bad.
I am very disapointed to see Duch moving around just like a VIP instead of a criminal. His picture is totally to Mr Heng Pov wgo was a former police chief and was arrested only by his disrespect to his former Boss Late Hok Lundy.
Duch should be worn a prison uniform and shouldn't allow to have pen in his pocket and should be guard heavily to humiliate him for his killing of 16,000 people.
I am very disgusted for hearing that he could be recompensed for his times in prison. Areak PRey
តើអាចុយម្រ៉ាយ ខ្ញុំកញ្ជះបាតជើង យួន ភីភីយូ ទៅណ៎ាបាត់ហើយហ្ន៎?
Ah PPU kanhches Yuon has passed away a few day ago by a heavy
stroke.
នែអាឆ្កួតពួកអាឯងក៏ធឺក្តិតយួនដែរហេតុអីបានជាអាឆ្កួតឯងជេរម៉ែខ្លួនឯងទៅវិញអាភ្លើ។
អាឆ្កួតជ្រូកឯងជេរតែគេទេប៉ុន្តែអាភ្លើឯងយកតែប្រពន្ធ
យួន។អាភ្លើឯងប្រយ័ត្តយួនវាចុយងាប់ទៅ។
អាកើតពីរន្ធឈើ។បើពួកអញខ្ញុំយួនក៏បានកន្តួយយួនធ្វើដែរមិនដួចអាកញ្ជះសៀមនឹងកញ្ជះបស្ចឹមប្រទេសហើយមកស្រែកថា
ខ្លួនល្អនោះឡើយ។អាងាប់ក្រោមកន្តួយសៀមនឹងកន្តួយបស្ជឹមប្រទេស។
បើពួកអាឆ្កួតឯងហានទៅស្រុកខ្មែរអញចុយទាំងម៉ែអាឯងទៀត។
8:55 AM
Hatred and revengeful spirit, haughty pride had led Cambodia to unprecedent genocide in Cambodia. these evil spirit still boiling inside all of us.
Have we ever learned something from the tragedy?
Does another smoke screen tragedy is in the making now?
Do we live in a society where some kind of justice is prevailing?
We are separated from good (or more exactly from God)becaude of our evil acts and thoughts (caled sins.If we do not turn back to God , God will get us back to him by a severe judgment, more than we had experienced in the past tragedy.
Bro. Duch,
It's good you ask forgiveness from your parents from your teachers, from the victims. They are all dead, also they have no power to forgive.
Only God and his Son Jesus have that power and mercy and grace to forgive.
So ask forgiveness to the Havently Father in the holy name of His son Jesus.
7:52am
អាចុយម្រ៉ាយ អញគ្មានទៅណាទេ អញនៅមើលបក្សពួកអាឯង
ចុយកន្តួយម៉ែអាឯងហ្នឹងណា
អាឆ្កួត អាភ្លើ អាឆ្កែបស្ជឹមប្រទេស។
ពី អញ
ភីភីយូ
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