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 (or, Indictment). The Closing Order of the Co-Investigating Judges forms the basic document from which all the parties (co-prosecutors, lead co-lawyers for all civil parties, defense lawyers) make 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 November 2011, the Trial Chamber is hearing the substantive (sic!) arguments over the criminal charges   (genocide against Buddhists, genocide against Vietnamese, genocide against Cham Muslims, crimes against humanity at the 200 prisons, mass crimes in countless killing fields, Eastern Zone purges, penal code of 1956, etc.) of only the Phase I Movement in April 1975.

 
 Available in Khmer, English and French. Contact the ECCC for a free copy.  

 

CLOSING ORDER (or, INDICTMENT)

 

of Co-Investigating Judges You Bunleng and Marcel Lemonde

15 September 2010

 

IX. ROLES OF THE CHARGED PERSONS

D. IENG THIRITH

 

Participation in the Common Purpose 

Cooperatives and Worksites

 

Knowledge and Implementation of this Policy

1233.       Ieng Thirith was kept appraised of the implementation of this policy through her roles, her family connections and her association with other CPK leaders. For example, on 30 August 1977, she attended a banquet to honour a delegation from Burma where Ieng Sary delivered a speech outlining that "During the past 8 months our Cambodian people and the Revolutionary Army have striven seethingly and arduously to increase production" ⁵⁰¹²

1234.       Ieng Thirith personally travelled throughout Cambodia to survey cooperatives and worksites. For example, she visited the Northwest Zone in 1976. She has admitted that during her visit, she noted the living and working conditions in the rice fields. Asked about that visit in 1980, she stated, "I was travelling to see the conditions of the people and at the time when I came back to Phnom Penh, I reported to our leaders that there was something queer in some provinces, for example in Battambang ... At the time, I told my leader there is something wrong in that province ... I saw everybody there in the rice fields in open air, nothing and with the sun, very hot sun. I saw many people ill of diarrhea and malaria so I reported it to him".⁵⁰¹⁴

1235.       Ieng Thirith also travelled throughout Cambodia in April 1977. She accompanied a Laotian delegation to visit various parts of the country including Siem Reap, the Central Zone, Kampong Cham, the East Zone, and in particular the 1^st January Dam.⁵⁰¹⁵ According to one witness, on the occasion of her visit to the 1^st January Dam, those who were to greet Ieng Thirith were given food and clothes⁵⁰¹⁶ and Ieng Thirith visited a hospital where she was made aware of the shortages of medicine.⁵⁰¹⁷

1236.       Ieng Thirith is likely to have known about other worksites. At least since 1978, a large number of people were sent from Kampong Chhnang province⁵⁰¹⁸ and Srae Ambel salt fields⁵⁰¹⁹ to replace people who had been removed from Office K-2 and its hospitals.

1237.       As Minister of Social Affairs responsible for the production, supply, and distribution of medicine, Ieng Thirith was kept appraised of the serious health problems⁵⁰²⁰ which arose throughout the country, including the fact that medicine was traditional and experimental,⁵⁰²¹ was at best ineffective or of low quality,⁵⁰²² and was being administered by unqualified medical staff.⁵⁰²³ Although she raised related issues in various meetings with Pol Pot, Nuon Chea and other CPK leaders,⁵⁰²⁴ her Ministry continued to implement the Party line.