"Prime Minister Hun Sen, Senate Chairman Chea Sim, and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin all took active roles in carrying out the policies which the co-prosecutors say today were criminal as such," Koppe said.
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| Hun Sen when he was in the Khmer Rouge, before defecting to Vietnam. |
Defence lawyers at Cambodia's Khmer Rouge court on Tuesday denounced the trial of two former top regime leaders as a "showcase" that had pre-judged them as guilty.
Prosecutors are demanding the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, 87, and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan, 82, for their roles in a regime that left up to two million people dead from 1975-79.
The trial is "a showcase of the conclusion that everyone involved wanted and expected from the day the tribunal was constituted," said Nuon Chea's lawyer, Victor Koppe, claiming that "no one in this court is interested in ascertaining the truth".
Delivering its closing statement to the UN-backed tribunal, the defence said political interference had prevented it from obtaining evidence to support its case.
It also argued that if the defendants were guilty as charged, then so were other former Khmer Rouge cadres including Cambodian's current strongman premier, Hun Sen.
"Prime Minister Hun Sen, Senate Chairman Chea Sim, and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin all took active roles in carrying out the policies which the co-prosecutors say today were criminal as such," Koppe said.
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| This handout photo released by the Extraordinary Chamber in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on October 21, 2013 shows former Khmer Rouge leader head of state Khieu Samphan (R) talking to his lawyer (L) in the ECCC courtroom in Phnom Penh on October 16 |
Hun Sen was once a low-level Khmer Rouge commander but defected in 1977 to join Vietnamese forces fighting to overthrow the regime. He is opposed to pursuing more regime suspects.
The complex case of the regime's two most senior surviving leaders has been split into a series of smaller trials, initially focusing on the forced evacuation of people into rural labour camps and related charges of crimes against humanity.
The evacuation of Phnom Penh in April 1975 was one of the largest forced migrations in modern history.
More than two million people were expelled from the capital at gunpoint and marched to rural labour camps as part of the regime's plan to forge an agrarian utopia.
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| Prime Minister Hun Sen (middle) with the defectors - trial is possible |
The defendants deny charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The allegations of genocide and war crimes are due to be heard in later hearings although no date has yet been set.
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the communist Khmer Rouge regime wiped out up to a quarter of the population through executions, starvation and overwork.
10 comments:
the trial shows leadership at its utmost must be held responsible for what goes on under their watch! this will teach them leadership is hard work, not something for the fainted heart, and top gov't position is not a luxury, either! next time, think twice before pursuing your political dream!
KR regime bosses are responsible for what happened in cambodia in the 1970s. they were the bosses, right?
When NUON CHEA and KHIEU SAMPHAN gonna point their bloody fingers to YUON since 1979, SIHANOUK , POL POT "SALOTH SAR " IENG SARY , TA MOK, SON SEN , KE PAUK, KHIEU THIRITH are LONG gone but still NO fingers pointing to YUON.
If you look at TEP KHUNNAL still alive in ANLONG VENG married POL POT 's wife still NO finger pointing to YUON either for the Genocidal Crime the ALL above figure heads committed in 1975-1979.
A Survivor pf our Own KHMER KILLING FIELDS
I am so blessed even NOT guilty but they are behind bars more and longer I had been under their iron hands...so much innocent bloods in their dirty hands
Pol Pot, Xihanouk, Nou Chea, and Khiev Samphan were heavenly boastfully proud of themselves after taking over Cambodia, they were barely going anywhere beside staying in the ghost town, Phnom Penh, and a few times rode the black Benz to visit Angkor Wat!
Perhaps, they did not realize that they killed almost 2 millions innocent Khmers.
people who lived through pol pot era, saw the killings carried out by khmer, not foreigners! leaders were responsible for the policy of that time, but the actual killings were done at the lowest level in society. i think the killings as part political and part inequality of people in society going back before the KR era. simply, people hated each other and the system of the past that created inequality in wealth, in education, in social status, etc! the have and have not can stir up resentment and anger to take vengeful action. of course, the KR leaders did not put a stop to that, until it was too late! i don't blame the outsiders, i think khmer people were resentful about past gov't, past leaders, past injustice. so don't condone any of that if you want changes in cambodia that are different from the past. learn from that tragic history!
If we want to find justice for Khmer victim in Khmer rouge regime.We have to bring China and Hanoi to international court too,because China and Hanoi support Khmer rouge and the both countries stay behind the killing in Khmer rouge regime too.And be care full don't let China and Hanoi come back to kill Khmer people again.It's time for all Khmer people have to wake up and protect our self,because we have a lesson in the past .We have to learn and protect.
Ah hun xen trail/judgement will come soon because he has play with the devil by promising to protect the khmer forestry. Now, the khmer people/the world know that he has been broken the promis. So, the devil will chop his head off, the Siam yellow shirt will chop his head off, the khmer forestry God will chop his head off and his own helicopter will chop his head off. Chopp chopp choppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
The khmer rouge is only the
instrument that yuons created to kill khmer people and it is used also to shiled their heinous murder
of 2 millions of khmer people
between 1975-79.
And sihnouk is their accomplice.
Whereas un sen ,heng samrin,chea sim.... are yuon's slaves.
The khmer rouge is only the
instrument that yuons created to kill khmer people and it is used also to shiled their heinous murder
of 2 millions of khmer people
between 1975-79.
And sihnouk is their accomplice.
Whereas un sen ,heng samrin,chea sim.... are yuon's slaves.
read the book who is Angkar of Mrs kim Thi oy to find thAT Yuons are
the true murderers of 2 millions of khmer people.
6.25AM. I agree with you.Even thought i was not there . I have heard from all survivors.It was ANGKAR LOEU , who ordered the killing of innocents people.
My conclusion is ANGKAR LOEU are CHINA & VIETNAM.
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