Closing Order of Case 002 against Senior KR Leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith

In light of the HISTORIC (!) start of MOST COMPLEX (sic!) trial hearings beginning on 27 June 2011 and again ANOTHER HISTORIC (!) START of this same MOST COMPLEX (sic!) on 21 Nov. 2011 of Case 002 against the surviving Khmer Rouge senior leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, KI Media is posting installations of the public document of the Closing Order of Case 002.  The Closing Order of the Co-Investigating Judges forms the basic document from which all the parties (Co-Prosecutors, Co-Lead Lawyers for all civil parties, Defense Lawyers) will be making their arguments before the Trial Chamber judges (one Cambodian President, 2 Cambodian Judges, 2 UN judges).  Up until now, the hearings involving these four surviving senior Khmer Rouge leaders have been in the Pre-Trial Chamber over issues of pre-trial detention and jurisdictional issues.  Beginning in June 2011, the Trial Chamber will hear the substantive (sic!) arguments over the criminal charges (e.g. genocide, crimes against humanity, penal code of 1956 - sic!).  Available in Khmer and French. Contact the ECCC for a free copy. 

 

CLOSING ORDER

of Co-Investigating Judges You Bunleng and Marcel Lemonde

15 September 2010

Execution Sites In District 12 (West Zone)

Prey Trapeang Ampil Execution Site²⁹⁷⁴

Location and Establishment

684.                  Prey Trapeang Ampil and Prey Trapeang Pring are two related and immediately adjacent execution sites in a forested area located about three kilometres south of Kraing Lvea Village in Kraing Lvea Subdistrict, Samaki Meanchey District (originally Kampong Tralach Leu District until 1985), Kampong Chhnang Province.²⁹⁷⁵ Applying the CPK's system of identifying administrative boundaries, they were located in District 12, Sector 31 in the West Zone (Zone 401).

Functioning

Structure and Personnel

685.                  The CPK took control of Kampong Tralach Leu District in 1972 or 1973.²⁹⁷⁶ At the time Chum Teav Chreng security centre was established in Chum Teav Chreng Village (now

2977                                                                                                                                                                                     2978

abandoned) which was one of the headquarters of the CPK before 1975. The security centre operated until the death of its chairman, Sarin,²⁹⁷⁹ which occurred before 17 April 1975.²⁹⁸⁰ This security centre was later replaced by the District 12 security centre known as

Prey Damrei Srot.²⁹⁸¹

688. After 1975, Meas Yoem (Ta Yeum) was the Secretary of the District 12 Committee before being promoted to the sector level and replaced by Koeun (deceased).²⁹⁸² Sarun was the Secretary of Sector 31 Committee (deceased and later replaced by Ta Yoem).²⁹⁸³

Disappearances and Executions

689. Witnesses state that some people who lived in Chumteav Chreng Village or were sent there

disappeared,²⁹⁸⁴ being called "to study,"²⁹⁸⁵ taken away because they "made a mistake,"²⁹⁸⁶ or arrested without any reason being given.²⁹⁸⁷

690. Witnesses also consistently state that detainees from Chum Teav Chreng were sent to Prey Trapeang Ampil and Prey Trapeang Pring to be executed.²⁹⁸⁸ Two of them, one working at the dam located between the security centre and the execution sites and the other a villager, state that they saw on a number of occasions detainees from the centre being walked by the local militia to the execution sites with their hands tied behind their backs. Only the local militia came back carrying strings and bags.²⁹⁸⁹ Other witnesses interviewed describe events preceding the ECCC's temporal jurisdiction.²⁹⁹⁰

691. As the security centre closed before 17 April 1975 it is possible to conclude that all the executions linked to the security centre occurred outside of the ECCC's temporal jurisdiction. Nonetheless, some witnesses state that after Chum Teav Chreng security centre closed, some people continued to be executed at Prey Trapeang Ampil and Prey Trapeang Pring.²⁹⁹¹ Thus, the Deputy Chairman of the militia of Kraing Lvea Subdistrict explains that upon the arrival of the people who had been evacuated from Phnom Penh, many meetings were held and that deportees who were identified as former Khmer Republic soldiers would be sent for execution at Prey Trapeang Ampil and Prey Trapeang Pring. He specifies that these people were killed with sticks and that he saw bamboo sticks remaining at the site.²⁹⁹² Another witness who was working in Chumteav Chreng Village in 1978 states that he saw seven or eight people being walked to the sites on two occasions and that the guards returned without the prisoners.²⁹⁹³

692. A Site Identification Report shows that today no structures can be made out other than traces of pits in several spots in the forest. However the pits themselves can be clearly identified. On the surface of the soil in some locations there is some small human bone debris indicating the presence of corpses. Other findings include dental prosthesis (human teeth having had dental work), remains of clothing such as buttons, zippers and cords, and personal items such as jewellery or amulets.²⁹⁹⁴ Several witnesses visited Prey Trapeang Ampil and Prey Trapeang Pring just after 1979 and they saw pits and bones.²⁹⁹⁵ Beyond the conclusions drawn from the witness statements and the Site Identification Report, it is not possible to determine the precise number of victims at these sites, in particular during the temporal jurisdiction of the ECCC, but, given the number and size of the pits identified, many people were buried in this area.²⁹⁹⁶