Press TV
The surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge have been indicted for the deaths of nearly 2 million Cambodians, after thirty-one years of impunity.
On Thursday, judges at the UN-backed tribunal specially convened to investigate and try the crimes of the Democratic Kampuchea government, which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, signed an order to put four aging suspects on trial for what the court deemed was "an attack on the entire population of Cambodia."
The indictments include charges of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, torture, and religious persecution.
Judge Marcel Lemonde of France, who also announced his resignation after a tumultuous four years, told reporters gathered at the UN-backed tribunal on Thursday, "Some commentators have said, and I believe they were correct, that this matter is the most complex since the Nuremberg tribunal."
The four accused are former revolutionaries who seized power in 1975 at the end of a civil war with a U.S. client regime.
They are Nuon Chea, 84, known as Brother No. 2, the Communist Party's deputy secretary, former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, 84, and his wife Ieng Thirith, 78, a former minister of social action, and finally Khieu Samphan, 79, who chaired the party's central committee as it planned the deadliest of its purges of government officials.
In addressing the media, Judge Lemonde and his Cambodian counterpart, Judge Yu Bunleng, congratulated each other for what they considered personal and professional triumphs.
The court's two co-investigating judges dropped the charges against Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, for lack of new evidence. Duch was sentenced in July to 35 years in prison for the murders of an estimated 14,000 people in his role as commander of the Khmer Rouge secret police.
Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, a local organization that supplied much of the court's documentary record, said this case is the most important case the court will ever conduct, regardless of what becomes of any additional cases opened by UN prosecutors.
"The question is, why did Cambodians kill Cambodians? That is the most important question that has been put forward, and only case 002 can do that," Youk stated, using the case number for Thursday's indictment. It "would lead us to what is next," he added. "It will trickle down how far you can go."
On Thursday, judges at the UN-backed tribunal specially convened to investigate and try the crimes of the Democratic Kampuchea government, which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, signed an order to put four aging suspects on trial for what the court deemed was "an attack on the entire population of Cambodia."
The indictments include charges of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, torture, and religious persecution.
Judge Marcel Lemonde of France, who also announced his resignation after a tumultuous four years, told reporters gathered at the UN-backed tribunal on Thursday, "Some commentators have said, and I believe they were correct, that this matter is the most complex since the Nuremberg tribunal."
The four accused are former revolutionaries who seized power in 1975 at the end of a civil war with a U.S. client regime.
They are Nuon Chea, 84, known as Brother No. 2, the Communist Party's deputy secretary, former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, 84, and his wife Ieng Thirith, 78, a former minister of social action, and finally Khieu Samphan, 79, who chaired the party's central committee as it planned the deadliest of its purges of government officials.
In addressing the media, Judge Lemonde and his Cambodian counterpart, Judge Yu Bunleng, congratulated each other for what they considered personal and professional triumphs.
The court's two co-investigating judges dropped the charges against Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, for lack of new evidence. Duch was sentenced in July to 35 years in prison for the murders of an estimated 14,000 people in his role as commander of the Khmer Rouge secret police.
Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, a local organization that supplied much of the court's documentary record, said this case is the most important case the court will ever conduct, regardless of what becomes of any additional cases opened by UN prosecutors.
"The question is, why did Cambodians kill Cambodians? That is the most important question that has been put forward, and only case 002 can do that," Youk stated, using the case number for Thursday's indictment. It "would lead us to what is next," he added. "It will trickle down how far you can go."
2 comments:
So what????
Free room, food, and medical; the luxery that most Khmer never get close to.
Give us 1991 Paris agrement instead UN!!!!!!!!!!!
To ECCC,
Please don't forget to indict seven more Khmer Rouge leaders list below.
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...
These Khmer Rouges continue to kill innocent Khmer peoples.
The Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime extrajudicial execution over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party.
The Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime murders over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
The Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime murders 3 leaders of the Free Trade Union.
The Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime murders 10 Journalists.
The Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime kills at least 18 innocent Khmer peoples during a grenades attack (terrorism) on March 30, 1997 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime government have not found assassin, murderer, killer or grenade throwers.
Post a Comment