Former Khmer Rouge interrogator, Prak Khan, gives evidence at the Cambodian war crimes tribunal in Phnom PenhTuesday, July 21, 2009
AFP
PHNOM PENH — A former interrogator at the main Khmer Rouge prison told Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes tribunal Tuesday how staff were taught to torture prisoners using electric shocks and suffocation.
Prak Khan, 58, was testifying against Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch, who is accused of overseeing the torture and execution of around 15,000 people held at Tuol Sleng prison, also known as S-21, in the late 1970s.
"We were taught how to torture the prisoners and to avoid the prisoners dying; otherwise the confession would be broken and we would be punished," Prak Khan told the court.
The witness, who was assigned to be an interrogator in late 1976 after being initially hired as a prison guard, said Duch and other high-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres often taught torture methods.
"We were trained how to whip the prisoners with the sticks, on how to electrocute, (and) on how to use the plastic bag to suffocate them," Prak Khan said.
"Detainees would be told not to make loud noises, not to curse or exchange swear words, or to shout slogans. And they were also warned not to scream while being tortured," he added.
Prak Khan said interrogators would torture prisoners until they confessed to spying on the Khmer Rouge regime and provided names of others in so-called espionage networks.
In earlier testimony, Duch admitted he did not believe that confessions obtained through torture were accurate.
The 66-year-old Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, has accepted responsibility for his role governing the jail and begged forgiveness near the start of his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
But the defendant has consistently rejected claims by prosecutors that he held a central leadership role in the Khmer Rouge, and says he never personally killed anyone.
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia. Up to two million people died of starvation, overwork and torture or were executed during the 1975-1979 regime.
Prak Khan, 58, was testifying against Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch, who is accused of overseeing the torture and execution of around 15,000 people held at Tuol Sleng prison, also known as S-21, in the late 1970s.
"We were taught how to torture the prisoners and to avoid the prisoners dying; otherwise the confession would be broken and we would be punished," Prak Khan told the court.
The witness, who was assigned to be an interrogator in late 1976 after being initially hired as a prison guard, said Duch and other high-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres often taught torture methods.
"We were trained how to whip the prisoners with the sticks, on how to electrocute, (and) on how to use the plastic bag to suffocate them," Prak Khan said.
"Detainees would be told not to make loud noises, not to curse or exchange swear words, or to shout slogans. And they were also warned not to scream while being tortured," he added.
Prak Khan said interrogators would torture prisoners until they confessed to spying on the Khmer Rouge regime and provided names of others in so-called espionage networks.
In earlier testimony, Duch admitted he did not believe that confessions obtained through torture were accurate.
The 66-year-old Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, has accepted responsibility for his role governing the jail and begged forgiveness near the start of his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
But the defendant has consistently rejected claims by prosecutors that he held a central leadership role in the Khmer Rouge, and says he never personally killed anyone.
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia. Up to two million people died of starvation, overwork and torture or were executed during the 1975-1979 regime.
6 comments:
His face does not seem to be a nice guy either.
Just take a close looks at this guy mouth, he has black lips! this guy might ate people liver after clubbed them to death with hammer...
The killer face.
There are so many things wrong with torture—the most significant being that torturing a prisoner of war is in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions. Maybe if we took a little time to educate people about what is legal during times of armed conflict according to the Geneva Conventions this kind of thing wouldn’t happen as much.
There’s a petition out now—Protect the Vulnerable in War: Teach the Geneva Conventions—found at http://bit.ly/RCpetition . If you’re interested in doing something about how well future leaders understand IHL, start now—Sign the petition.
Natalie,
Why on earth you made these statement? Have you every tried to study about Cambodia and her neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam from the ancient times to present?
And don't forget that these peasants were proletarians declared by Communist Mao.
When Cambodia disconnected herself from outside world like North Korea what does anyone expect that this kind of killing would had not happened?
To me, Cambodia joined Communist either for temporary to survive from Ho Chi Minh and Mao's aggressiveness I applaud for that, but to starve people to death like in North Korea was dead wrong.
If in fact King Sihanouk and his country men wanted to becoming North Korea to possess such powerful weapon etc., still have to feed the people. And another thing, Vietnamese who're in Cambodia for centuries with Khmers and declared themselves Khmers would not allow Cambodia to becoming North Korea, and Never happen. Vietnamese will do everything they can to divide and destroy Cambodia as they have been doing.
King Sihanouk game politics was too dangerous, but it could be rewarded if he made it. He wanted to make his country to becoming a self independent a strong nation against the Thai and Viets who abused Cambodia for centuries.
If he got his way like Kim Il Sung his god-father, this world cannot afford to have twin North Korea.
Vietnam was not only rewarded by the west she destroyed Cambodia's ambitions, she is now a confidence customer to the US.
These killings by peasants were the results of fear and distrust between two factions: Vietnmese Rouge faction and Chinese faction.
I watched the documentary of inside North Korea (hidden camera by a group of humanitarian) I saw King Sihanouk and Kim, the dear leader sit side by side and King Sihanouk's expression reminded me of his great ambitions to make Cambodia a powerful nuclear nation just like N. Korea.
It'd be a great threat to his neighboring countries, that's why the killings rose to the melting point, because of inside conflictions.
Vietnam did not just defeat Cambodia through invasion but defeated her through internal conflictions and made Pol Pot to responsible, a greatest monster ever live, though Viets were with Pol Pot also.
Those people whom you see in Cambodia are many Vietnamese who're trained to be Khmers since they are in Vietnam. One man in Global witness is Vietnamese who said he is Khmer and maried to Khmer general's daughter.
With the climate changes and Vietnam may soon be submerged into the sea, million Viets entering Cambodia surprise no one, and you shouldn't either.
PPU and his friends in KI are Vietnamese, and so Hok Lungdy who was killed on plane owned by Hun Sen's son. The west don't know much about Cambodia and her aggressive neighbors, but they claimed they do, because they are White who see themselves superior to the rest of the world. End of the story.
His face is the butcher. His black lips may have eaten so many hearts of his victims.
Post a Comment