Original report from Phnom Penh
11 August 2009
The former Khmer Rouge prison chief known as Duch on Tuesday confessed to beating a prisoner himself, following testimony from a former guard at his Tuol Sleng prison Monday.
Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, told the UN-backed court he did not deny the testimony of Saom Met, who told judges he had seen Duch beating a prisoner with a rattan stick.
Duch said he “risked a heavy crime” by his admission, but said, “I do not hesitate at all, and I recognize all my crimes.”
Duch is charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and murder for his role as the administrator of the notorious prison, where prosecutors say 12,380 people were sent to their deaths.
He has admitted to sending people to their deaths, but in the past has sought not to implicate himself in murder by his own hands.
Duch said Monday he had abused the prisoner, but not seriously, and said the “most serious” crimes for him had been passing communist doctrine to his staff the prison, known the Khmer Rouge as S-21.
“In my capacity as director of S-21, the crime that seems the most serious for me is the policy lectures I gave to them,” he said. “For instance, [that] those where were arrested by the party must be considered enemies.”
If interrogators did not recognize the inmates as enemies, they would not have gotten “confessions” from them, he said.
“This is the most serious crime, that I am responsible for more than 10,000 lives,” he said.
The former guard, Saom Met, told the court Tuesday the rule on torture as Tuol Sleng was to exact answers from prisoners, even if it meant torturing them to death.
Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, told the UN-backed court he did not deny the testimony of Saom Met, who told judges he had seen Duch beating a prisoner with a rattan stick.
Duch said he “risked a heavy crime” by his admission, but said, “I do not hesitate at all, and I recognize all my crimes.”
Duch is charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and murder for his role as the administrator of the notorious prison, where prosecutors say 12,380 people were sent to their deaths.
He has admitted to sending people to their deaths, but in the past has sought not to implicate himself in murder by his own hands.
Duch said Monday he had abused the prisoner, but not seriously, and said the “most serious” crimes for him had been passing communist doctrine to his staff the prison, known the Khmer Rouge as S-21.
“In my capacity as director of S-21, the crime that seems the most serious for me is the policy lectures I gave to them,” he said. “For instance, [that] those where were arrested by the party must be considered enemies.”
If interrogators did not recognize the inmates as enemies, they would not have gotten “confessions” from them, he said.
“This is the most serious crime, that I am responsible for more than 10,000 lives,” he said.
The former guard, Saom Met, told the court Tuesday the rule on torture as Tuol Sleng was to exact answers from prisoners, even if it meant torturing them to death.
2 comments:
Admit that he had committed the crime is the first step to spiritual healing for the victim and for himselg as well. then he should ask for forgiveness and repentance. Without it, the criminal will repeat the same crime or worst.
How many other Khmer Rouge will have the courage /boldness to admit the crime and ask for forgiveness from the wictims and from God.
Duch is now a converted to Christian. God gives him courage and strength to admit publicly his crime. May Duch intercede in behalf of past and present Khmer Rouge for forgiveness from God. May the Lord God touch the heart of these people to have the courage to and strenght for repentance and forgiveness.
May God heal this once cursed land (Cambodia) and his people.
6:16 AM,
"May God heal this once cursed land (Cambodia) and his people."
Who cursed Cambodia and her people?
What did they do before the war to receive this curse?
Did your God curse us or do you think it is Satan?
America dropped 2 atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during world war II and several more bombs elsewhere in the world.
America is at war right now in Afghanistan and Iraq.
America continues to do well and does not get cursed so your God must be really biased and totally unfair if he does exist and had cursed Cambodia.
Come on God, let's be fair here.
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