Monday, March 28, 2011

Lawyers appeal for release of ex- Khmer Rouge leader Duch

Both defence and prosecution appealing against Duch's punishment (Reuters/ECCC/Handout)
Monday, March 28, 2011
RFI

Lawyers for former Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch have called for his release arguing that he was only acting under orders when he oversaw the deaths of some 15,000 people at the Tuol Sleng prison in the late 1970s.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, was sentenced to 30 years in jail in July by Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was the first Khmer Rouge official to face an international tribunal and both the defence and prosecution are appealing against the sentence in a three-day hearing at the court.

His lawyer claims that Duch had only the very lowest rank in the communist party and was simply following orders from his superiors. The 'superior orders' defence was most notably used during the Nuremberg trials after World War Two when it was ruled that it did not absolve Nazi war criminals of responsibility for their actions.


His defence team say that the tribunal had no right to try Duch because he was not of the regime's senior leaders and have called for him to be aquitted.

At his trial, the 68-year-old Duch was initially given 35 years in jail, but the sentence was reduced for the years spent in illegal detention. Given time already served, he could walk free in less than 19 years.

The prosecutors, whose own appeal will be heard on Tuesday, want Duch's sentence increased to life to be communted to 45 years for time served in unlawful detention. A ruling on the appeals in expected in late June.

Four more of the Khmer Rouge regime's former members are due to go on trial later this year and Duch is expected to appear as a witness in the case.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stone son of a bitch to death or burn him alive car tire...instead of 35 years?

Anonymous said...

Place care tire on his head and burn him alive...

Anonymous said...

car tire..!

Anonymous said...

Dam i hate lawyer. they turn wrong to right. dont they see that he was a murderer?

Anonymous said...

youn is controlling everything in cambodia, the land, the government, and the khmer rouge triabunal.

Anonymous said...

Revenge is a bad thing for khmer.

Duch is not a living killer like CPP head. let him free. he no longer harmful to society but current leader.

Anonymous said...

do not be blindly angry without knowing the root of the problem.
duch is one who was dragged into and stuck in the systm of communism created by someone else whose brain is more profound than stupid khmer who just hate each other and jealous with each other and want to continue killing each other. let duch go free. he is not the system creator.

Anonymous said...

Hanoi revenged...

Anonymous said...

Let him out of jail and make him chase all Yuorns from Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

I agreed with 2:38Am,

Duch, Khiev Sam phorn, Pol Pot ect. hated Yourn.

Now Yourn take revenge with them by putting them on trial to humiliate them.

Anonymous said...

Yuon/Vietnam Hanoi is the one who created the Killing Fields based the facts. The world did know that Yuon-Vietcong Hanoi had planned the dirty secret to kill millions of innocent Khmer people both in Cambodia [Khmer Kandal/Central Khmer) and Khmer Krom (Southern Khmer region in South Vietnam today.

During the Killing Fields from 1975 to 1979, The Khmer/Cambodian people (the city people) were forced to get out of city or evacuated to the remote areas far away from Phnom Penh, like farming countryside or rice fiels, forest or jungles of Cambodia. The city of Phnom Penh had been a ghost town and almost no people living in the city. Therefore, Phnom Penh had been robbed quietly by Vietcong/Yuon secret agents from Vietnam Hanoi and everything from Phnom Penh were stolen and taken to Vietnam in very fast periods, like golds, valuable stuff, etc.

Vietnamese/Yuon are the crooks and theives during the Killing Fields.

Pol Pot was toppled by the Vietnamese secret agents (who pretended to be Khmer Rouges dressing blacks with guns).

I don't believe Pol Pot and Khmer Rouges soldiers and armies forced Cambodian people in Phnom Penh to leave for remote areas far away from Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Those forced the Phnom Penh city people to evacuate or leave were Yuon/Vietcong secret agents from Hanoi who could speak and write Khmer language very well. They (Yuon/Vietcong) created the words "Angkar Leur/Cap Tren) during the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouges regime. Innocent Khmer/Cambodian people did not know that those Yuon/Vietcong secret agents were hiding among Cambodian/Khmer people and Khmer Rouges armies as well as Lon Nol regime and soldiers. What the f*ck, Yuon/Vietcong bastards were such clever/smart asses that destroyed everything, cultures, educated people, books, histories of Khmer, etc.

The world or international communities need to know those Yuon-Vietnam Communist Bastards. The United States did not know about these evils either.

Anonymous said...

CORRECTIONS FOR 5:53 AM

Yuon/Vietnam Hanoi is the one who created the Killing Fields based the facts. The world did know that Yuon-Vietcong Hanoi had planned the dirty secret to kill millions of innocent Khmer people both in Cambodia [Khmer Kandal/Central Khmer) and Khmer Krom (Southern Khmer region in South Vietnam today.

During the Killing Fields from 1975 to 1979, The Khmer/Cambodian people (the city people) were forced to get out of city or evacuated to the remote areas far away from Phnom Penh, like farming countryside or rice fiels, forest or jungles of Cambodia. The city of Phnom Penh had been a ghost town and almost no people living in the city. Therefore, Phnom Penh had been robbed quietly by Vietcong/Yuon secret agents from Vietnam Hanoi and everything from Phnom Penh were stolen and taken to Vietnam in very fast periods, like golds, valuable stuff, etc.

Vietnamese/Yuon are the crooks and theives during the Killing Fields.

Pol Pot was toppled by the Vietnamese secret agents (who pretended to be Khmer Rouges dressing blacks with guns).

I don't believe Pol Pot and Khmer Rouges soldiers and armies forced Cambodian people in Phnom Penh to leave for remote areas far away from Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Those forced the Phnom Penh city people to evacuate or leave were Yuon/Vietcong secret agents from Hanoi who could speak and write Khmer language very well. They (Yuon/Vietcong) created the words "Angkar Leur/Cap Tren) during the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouges regime. Innocent Khmer/Cambodian people did not know that those Yuon/Vietcong secret agents were hiding among Cambodian/Khmer people and Khmer Rouges armies AND ALSO IN/AMONG Lon Nol regime and soldiers. What the f*ck, Yuon/Vietcong bastards were such clever/smart asses that destroyed everything, cultures, educated people, books, histories of Khmer, etc. THOSE FUCKERS NEED TO BE PUNISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES, UN, OR THE INTERNATIONAL COURTS, NOT JUST POL POL/KHMER ROUGES LEADERS WHO WERE PUSHED AND MANIPULATED BY YUON/VIETCONG TO DESTROY AND KILL INNOCENT KHMER/CAMBODIAN PEOPLE AND FOREIGNERS (JOURNALISTS AND VOLUNTEERS).

The world or international communities need to know those Yuon-Vietnam Communist Bastards. The United States did not know about these evils either.

vanna said...

Ta Douch . He's Khmer heroes . He's never Traitors

Anonymous said...

If Duch family can afford to pay,
Duch lawyers should suck Duch until bone.
Give Duch hope and he will pay his crime all his entire life,
don't let him kill himself,
it would be too easy for him.

Anonymous said...

Dear all Khmer on this great blog:

Personally I condemn any kind of killing innocent Khmer people .

Let me bring you some attention regarding to Duch trial.

In Pol Pot regime there were more than 100 prisons in Cambodia between 1975-1979.

S 21 prison located in the capital city of Phnom Penh between 1975-1979 and we all know that those who lived in Phnom Penh in those years they all were Khmer Rouge and Khmer Viet Minh not common people especially city people who were evacuated from the city .

So part of 2 million of innocent Khmer people were killed by so many other prisons in those days but not by S 21 .

So as S 21 prison chief Duch killed Khmer Rouge cadres and Khmer Viet Minh like Kea Meas.

So once again if we really want justice for 2 million of innocent Khmer victims Duch is not the right guy in term of justice for 2 million of Khmer people who passed away between 1975-1979 .

But if you want justice because Duch detained, tortured and killed Khmer Rouge cadres families and Khmer Viet Minh Duch is the right guy.

Note: I personally condemn any kind of killing khmer people.