Friday, October 18, 2013

Prosecutors say Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge trial is warning to world’s human rights violators



Caption: Khieu Samphan, a former head of state for the Khmer Rouge, is on trial for war crimes.
Photograph by: Nhet Sok Heng, The Associated Press Files , The Associated Press


By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, October 17, 10:50 AM

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Prosecutors at Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge tribunal said Thursday the trial sends a strong message to the world that massive human rights violations will not go unpunished.

They spoke as the prosecution launched its closing arguments against two surviving leaders of the communist regime under which an estimated 1.7 million people died.

Nuon Chea, the regime’s chief ideologist, and Khieu Samphan, its head of state, both in their 80s, are charged with genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Khmer Rouge, in power from 1975 to 1979, emptied the country’s cities, forcing Cambodians into backbreaking work in rural cooperatives and executing anyone suspected of dissent. Executions, death by starvation, torture, lack of medical care and overwork were rampant.

“Even today countless Cambodian families carry a heavy burden from the four-year period that the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia: memories of mistreatment, starvation and torture of loved ones lost who were killed or simply disappeared,” Prosecutor Chea Leang told the court.

“This trial is important for Cambodia, but not just Cambodia — it is important for the entire world,” she said. “It demonstrates that crimes of such magnitude and severity will not be forgotten and that those responsible will be held to account.”

While Khieu Samphan sat in the courtroom Thursday, often closing his eyes, Nuon Chea followed the proceedings by a video link from a holding cell due to ill health.



Their trial began in November 2011. To make a massive indictment more manageable, the judges split the case into a series of smaller trials that would examine evidence in rough chronological order. The present trial’s focus on the forced movement of people excludes some of the gravest charges related to genocide and detention centers.

Many fear further trials will never take place, given the slow pace of the proceedings and the poor health of the aging defendants. The trial already has lost two other defendants to death and dementia.

Chea Leang said she hoped the examination of the forced evacuation of the capital, Phnom Penh, would offer a foundation for understanding “one of the most factually complex criminal cases ever prosecuted.”

“From the moment that the residents of Phnom Penh left their homes and embarked into the unknown, they were the virtual slaves of the Khmer Rouge soldiers who escorted them,” she said.

The entire population, including young children, pregnant women, the elderly and even hospital patients were “exposed to the elements at the hottest month of the year without water, shelter, food or medical assistance,” she said. “Those who could not leave and had no relatives to help them were abandoned to die.”

The U.N.-assisted court, launched in 2006, so far has convicted only one defendant, Khmer Rouge prison director Kaing Guek Eav, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2011. Cambodia has no death penalty.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had been emotionally and physically tortured under the KAMPUCHEA DEMOCRATIC for almost 4 years miserably, now these MONSTERS KHIEU SAMPHAN , IENG SARY , NUON CHEA have been in prison since 2007 . I could not wait for these figure heads to point the fingers to YUON for the Genocidal acts they had committed under their regime .

A Survivor of our Own KHMER KILLING FIELDS

Anonymous said...

ខ្ញុំចង់បានចម្លើយពិតចេញពីមេដឹកនាំជាន់ខ្ពស់នៃ
របបកម្ពូជាប្រជាថិបតេយ្យ(ខ្មែរក្រហម)ព្រោះថា៖
រយះ១១២ថ្ងៃក្នុងសាលាក្តីនេះលោកខៀវ សំផន
បានបញ្ចេញឈ្មោះហ៊ុន សែនដែលបានកាប់សំ ឡាប់មនុស្សខ្មែរនៅភូមិភាគបូព៌ា។ចំពោះលោក នួន ជាក៏និយាយប្រាប់តុលាការថា យួនឆ្ងាញ់និងដី
ខ្មែរមានជីជាតិដែរ។ សំឡេងលោកត្រូវបានកំណត់
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តែដល់ចុងចោទឆ្លើយដាក់ចំៗ បែជារកដើមបណ្តឹង
មិនមាន។ ដូច្នេះ ខ្ញុំមានការសង្សយ័ថា៖ថ្ងៃក្រោយ
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