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 

Security centres and execution sites

1233.       Through her various roles in the CPK, Ieng Thirith participated in the reeducation of "bad elements" and the killing of "enemies", both inside and outside the Party ranks.

Participation in the Creation of this Policy

1234.       Ieng Thirith assisted with the planning of this policy through her role on the Council of Ministers⁵⁰²⁵ and as Minister of Social Affairs.⁵⁰²⁶ Ieng Thirith attended the meetings of Council of Ministers where this policy was planned and instructions were given with a view to achieving it. At one of these meetings, dated 31 May 1976, after the Council of Ministers presented the situation of the revolution, Ieng Thirith alias Phea expressed her "total agreement with Angkar's comments".⁵⁰²⁷ At that meeting, she also declared, about people working at her Ministry, "we educate and encourage the involvement of brothers and sisters once a month. During meetings all participants share their views and the public dare criticize ...political and consciousness stance must be strengthened".⁵⁰²⁸

1235.       At a meeting on Health and Social Affairs dated 10 June 1976, attended by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, this policy was discussed. Ieng Thirith and some of the leading cadres from her Ministry reported on how "the party consistently indoctrinated people "⁵⁰²⁹ and suggested more propaganda as a solution to some of the pending issues.⁵⁰³⁰

1236.       Further, in September 1978, Ieng Thirith attended a large assembly in Phnom Penh together with other senior leaders of the CPK at which Pol Pot announced to hundreds of attendees that the military and the base no longer had the right to arrest anyone. From that point, they only had the right to question people and report to the Centre.⁵⁰³¹ This assembly was held subsequent to the dissemination of the June 1978 Central Committee Directive entitled Guidance of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea on the Party's Policy towards Misled Persons who have joined the CIA, served as Yuon agents or joined the KGB and Opposed the Party, Revolution, People and Democratic Kampuchea. The Directive appeared to prescribe reeducation for those who joined the CIA, KGB and Vietnamese before July 1978, but orders the Party and the Kampuchean people to eliminate networks which continued to oppose the Party from July 1978 onwards.⁵⁰³²

Endorsement of this Policy

1237.       In July 1975, Ieng Thirith attended a large RAK gathering⁵⁰³³ at which this policy was discussed and "the comrade chairman of the High-Level Military Committee of the Party" declared that the Revolutionary Army must defend the country against "internal enemies" and that it was their duty to "continue to smash" them.⁵⁰³⁴

1238.       Given her roles, Ieng Thirith is likely to have attended the conference on 11-13 April 1976 where the People's Representative Assembly approved the need to "raise revolutionary vigilance to a high level at all times".⁵⁰³⁵