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

 

Treatment of Targeted Groups

1288.        Through her various roles in the CPK, Ieng Thirith participated in the targeting of specific groups of people.

Treatment of Former Officials of the Khmer Republic

1289.       Asked about how the personnel of 17 April Hospital were selected, a witness who worked there from 1975 explained that those who had "tendencies" were not selected, regardless of their skills. According to him, this referred to people who had connections to former officials of the Khmer Republic. He also explained "if Angkar knew [about them] they would be in trouble; they would disappear, be taken to be tempered or to be executed" ⁵¹²⁵

Treatment of Vietnamese

1290. Ieng Thirith was aware of the treatment of Vietnamese through her diplomatic role, her family connections, and her associations with other CPK leaders, and through the Party propaganda disseminated via the radio and films. For example, a series of speeches of Ieng Sary inciting hatred against Vietnamese were broadcast on the radio.⁵¹²⁶ Confessions of Vietnamese soldiers who had been arrested were also recorded and broadcast on the radio for propaganda purposes.⁵¹²⁷ Further, on 12 April 1978, Ieng Thirith attended a film show inciting hatred against Vietnamese.⁵¹²⁸

1291. Ieng Thirith appears to have given speeches inciting hatred against Vietnamese. In a meeting of the 17 April Hospital where she is reported to have said "Comrades take party principles, give them pride of place and implement them. [Are you] [o]n the side of the Party or the side of the Yuon? ... After being defeated, the Yuon enemy came in and took command for a second round, intending to attack our Democratic Kampuchea. All they were able to unite with them was the East Zone, which was close to the Yuon ... This coup d'etat has been totally smashed ... The Yuon enemy is to be attacked really all out. ... The Revolutionary Hospital ... has contributed to attacking the coup d'etat enemy with a great victory for our revolution . It has been and is in the process of attacking the Yuon aggressor, territory-swallowing enemy ".⁵¹²⁹ This speech was made in the context of mass killings of Vietnamese civilians in Prey Veng and Svay Rieng and in other parts of Cambodia, as set out in the section of the Closing Order regarding the Factual Findings of Crimes.

1292.       After the end of the CPK regime, Ieng Thirith again made several anti-Vietnamese declarations. For example, at the International Conference for Solidarity with Kampuchea on 17-18 November 1979⁵¹³⁰ and in the interview she gave in 1980, she stated that most of the radical and controversial policies were coming from the threat of Vietnam.⁵¹³¹