Khieu Samphan, detained in November,denies repsonsibility (Photo: Reuters)Friday, 18 December 2009
BBC News
A UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia has charged Khieu Samphan, formerly the head of state for the Khmer Rouge, with genocide.
The move came after genocide charges were filed against two other Khmer Rouge leaders, Ieng Sary and Nuon Chea.
All the genocide charges relate to the men's treatment of Cambodia's Vietnamese and Muslim minorities.
All three men had already been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Those charged are already in pre-trial detention although the trial is not expected to begin before 2011.
Denial
Up to two million people are thought to have died under the Khmer Rouge's rule.
Khieu Samphan, 78, has never denied these deaths, but both he and his lawyers insist that, as head of state, he was never directly responsible.
One member of his defence team is the infamous French lawyer Jacques Verges, whose previous clients have included Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Venezuelan hijacker Carlos the Jackal.
Mr Verges, 83, has known Khieu Samphan since they were both involved in left-wing student activities in France in the 1950s.
He says he has lived a life of poverty after the Khmer Rouge regime was toppled.
A court official confirmed that the allegations were the related to the treatment of two minority groups: Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese people.
The accusation of genocide carries enormous symbolic weight, says the BBC's Guy De Launey in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh.
Researchers believe that the Khmer Rouge killed hundreds of thousands of Chams because of their religious beliefs.
Final arguments were heard last month in the trial of Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, who has admitted being responsible for overseeing the deaths of 15,000 people.
Judges at the tribunal are expected to make a ruling on his verdict early next year.
The move came after genocide charges were filed against two other Khmer Rouge leaders, Ieng Sary and Nuon Chea.
All the genocide charges relate to the men's treatment of Cambodia's Vietnamese and Muslim minorities.
All three men had already been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Those charged are already in pre-trial detention although the trial is not expected to begin before 2011.
Denial
Up to two million people are thought to have died under the Khmer Rouge's rule.
Khieu Samphan, 78, has never denied these deaths, but both he and his lawyers insist that, as head of state, he was never directly responsible.
One member of his defence team is the infamous French lawyer Jacques Verges, whose previous clients have included Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Venezuelan hijacker Carlos the Jackal.
Mr Verges, 83, has known Khieu Samphan since they were both involved in left-wing student activities in France in the 1950s.
He says he has lived a life of poverty after the Khmer Rouge regime was toppled.
A court official confirmed that the allegations were the related to the treatment of two minority groups: Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese people.
The accusation of genocide carries enormous symbolic weight, says the BBC's Guy De Launey in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh.
Researchers believe that the Khmer Rouge killed hundreds of thousands of Chams because of their religious beliefs.
Final arguments were heard last month in the trial of Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, who has admitted being responsible for overseeing the deaths of 15,000 people.
Judges at the tribunal are expected to make a ruling on his verdict early next year.
15 comments:
khiev samphon was supposed to be a smart and well-educated person, why was he and his stupid KR regime did what they did to cambodia by destroying the country and lots our talented, educated and skifful people during their reign of terror. he needs to answer lots of tough question. now how stupid was that to destroy cambodia and kill khmer people during their brutal, ignorant reign? so dumb, really!
Hanoi very happy to see Khmer suffer.
Kit PiChoy
The answers, if you want to know.
http://khmer-heroes.blogspot.com/
and they called themselves nationalistic, patriots, etc... shame on them all for destroyed cambodia!
Kill the bastard.....
You can judge him with out Sihaknuk because Sihaknuk is the hen Khiev is the egg.
Now It's time to tell Cambodians and the world who is your big boss.
Be a man Mr.Khieu Somphan!
Please H.E Khieu Somphan tell the true. Why your regime killed Khmer people, especially the nationalistsm. My farther was also killed on 20 April 19970, just after your declared the victory. He went to hand over power to KR.Then all my family members were also killed.
Kon Khmer
These charges against Khieu Samphan are a waste of time because:
- He was never a member of permanent comittee of the central comittee of the CPK and so had no say in the regime's important decisions.
- He may have been a very disciplined and devout 'Khmer Rouge' but as head of state he was, just like Sihanu before him (until February 1976), a figure head.
MOUK AH NIS MOUK AH CHOCH ACH! AH KHIEV SAMPHOENG!
Just kill the bastard!
He will never tell the truth or admit what he did. Why waste our time with a crimal like him?
People interested in testifying and groups with survivors who would like to become involved can contact ASRIC via e-mail at asric.apa@nyu.edu or by calling Nou at 562-985-7439.
How about Hun Sen, Heng Samrin and Chea Sim? These three people should be brought to question too. They were and are still Khmer Rough. They keep killing Khmer everyday. They order K-5 to mobilize Khmer people to dig trenche and cut forest along Thai border. Many Khmer people died of this. Today, they still kill many Khmer people who are against them politically.
Even worse, Hun Sen threatened to destroy Khmer Rough court. It was not Hun Sen who initiated the Khmer Rough court. It was Ranariddh, then first prime minister. Now Hun Sen is very sorry to agree with the first prime minister. Now he is afraid that he and his group might be linked to Khmer Rough.
The Khmer Rough court is a real threat and bad dream for Hun Sen. Becuase he thinks that someday he might be brought to justice of what he has done. He is top of the tree and now he is too afraid to come down. When he is out of power, he will be jailed like Khiev, Chea and Sary.
Hun Sen good friend to Vietnam. Khmer rouge are bad killed khmer. Vietnam came help khmer friends from killing. We good friend. We need more land.
i think it doesn't matter how educated a person could be if he/she does not use that education to better society and its people! this man was a pure evil! hang him!
Post a Comment