Friday, September 17, 2010

Four Khmer Rouge suspects face “questionable” genocide trail

(Photo: Flickr)

16 September 2010

By Lula Ahrens
Radio Netherlands Worldwide


Four former Khmer Rouge regime leaders will stand trial for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity at Cambodia's national, UN-backed war crimes court. The closing order was signed on Tuesday 15 September, allowing for the trial to begin in 2011. The Dutch lawyer of suspect Nuon Chea has serious doubts about the fairness of the trial. “I’m afraid it won’t meet international standards.”

The four are the most senior members of the hard-line communist movement still alive.

Former deputy to Khmer Rouge founder Pol Pot, Nuon Chea (84); foreign minister Ieng Sary (84), Sary’s wife and social affairs minister Iengh Thirith (78), and head of state Khieu Samphan (79) were indicted in December 2009. They have been in detention since their arrests in 2007.

Dutch lawyers
The Marxist Khmer Rouge regime wiped out nearly a quarter of the country's population between 1975 to 1979 in a bid to create an agrarian utopia. Up to two million people died from starvation, overwork or execution.

The current genocide charges relate specifically to the deaths of Vietnamese people and ethnic Cham Muslims under the Pol Pot regime. Estimates for the number of Cham who died under the Khmer Rouge range from 100,000 to 400,000. It is not known how many Vietnamese were killed.

One of the suspects, Chea, is defended by Dutch lawyers Victor Koppe and Michiel Pestman. Mr Pestman told Radio Netherlands that he expects the trial to start in April, and that it will probably last three years. “That excludes the appeal.” He added that from a statistical perspective, it is very likely that not all four suspects will live to hear the verdict. “Which is why one could wonder: what’s the point of this trial?”

“Unfair” trials
The Cambodia tribunal is a UN-backed national tribunal that tries senior members of the Khmer Rouge regime for violations of both Cambodian and international law. It is composed of both local and international judges.

Mr Pestman wonders whether it was a good idea of the UN to allow a majority of Cambodian judges to serve at the tribunal. “There is a painful gap between them and the international judges,” he said. “I’m afraid that this trial won’t be fair, that it will not meet international legal standards.”

The court is still investigating whether to open more cases against five other former Khmer Rouge cadres, but faces political and financial pressures. Prime Minister Hun Sen has said further trials could drive the country back to civil war.

Government influence
Cambodia is a one-party state that has been in power since 1979. Its judiciary has an ambiguous record. Mr Pestman wonders to extent it is able to free itself from that tradition.

“Ultimately, the government decides whether or not more suspects will be prosecuted,” Mr Pestman said. “That tells you how far-reaching the government’s influence is.

Last Friday, the Pre-Trial Chamber rejected our request to interview more witnesses, which gives the impression that the Cambodian government is in charge of who is and who isn’t allowed to testify. The credibility of the preliminary investigation is being called into question, and that affects the reputation of the court as a whole.”

Petit and Lemonde
Canadian prosecutor Robert Petit resigned in September 2009, later explaining that efforts by the Cambodian government to influence the court and the decision whether or not to prosecute more suspects had led him to his decision.

Mr Pestman told Radio Netherlands his position as a Dutch lawyer is also difficult. "On the other hand, I am a whistle blower. I am here to make sure this trial does not turn into a farce. But if the situation gets worse, I might reach the point where I, too, decide to leave.”

Frenchman Marcel Lemonde, one of the tribunal's two co-investigating judges, announced Thursday 16 September that he was quitting to focus on other projects. He will be replaced by German Siegfried Blunk.

This will be the court's second trial, following the historic sentencing of former prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, alias ‘Duch’ (67), in July for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Duch was given a 30-year jail term for his role overseeing the executions of an estimated 15,000 men, women and children. He could be released in 19 years, because of the time already served.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Guek Eav aka Samak Mith Duch
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong aka Samak Mith Yaem
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka aka Samak Mith Muth
Hun Sen...

Committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention


Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong aka Samak Mith Yaem
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka aka Samak Mith Muth...

Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.

Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
"As of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
  
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union 
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered 10 Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son 
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.  
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation

Illegally use of remote detonate bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.

Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky.  Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground. 
Source:  Lightning, Discovery Channel

Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Vietnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters. 
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.

Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice. 

Anonymous said...

The Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime and the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime are responsible for killing almost two million innocent Khmer peoples and counting.

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Guek Eav aka Samak Mith Duch
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong aka Samak Mith Yaem
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka aka Samak Mith Muth
Hun Sen...

Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong aka Samak Mith Yaem
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka aka Samak Mith Muth...

Note:
Hun Sen,
Chea Sim,
Heng Samrin,
Hor Namhong aka Samak Mith Yaem,
Keat Chhon,
Ouk Bunchhoeun and
Sim Ka aka Samak Mith Muth... are also leaders and member of the Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime.

The current Cambodian government are run by Khmer Rouges.

Anonymous said...

I had to read your comment too many
time are the same and the same .
If you want your people had to belief
you , you better tell your peoples
how going to run the country .
If you said the same and the same
they will not belief to you any more.
Since 1970 to 1979 Khmer rouge they
had to label on Khmer republic
the same as you had to do .

Anonymous said...

So many people they didn't live in Pol Pot regime,but they just known by someone told them and they said Pol Pot did like this did like those especially Khmer Khrom never been in Pol Pot regime.