Khmer tribunal 'a battle against time': Japan judge

Motoo Noguchi, outgoing Japanese judge in the Khmer Rouge tribunal, speaks during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. Cambodia's UN-backed court on Khmer Rouge atrocities may be "a battle against time" but it is paving the way for national reconciliation, Noguchi said.

13/07/2012
Bangkok Post

Cambodia's UN-backed court on Khmer Rouge atrocities may be "a battle against time" but it is paving the way for national reconciliation, the outgoing Japanese judge in the tribunal said Thursday.

The court, set up in 2006 to seek justice for the deaths of up to two million people under the 1975-1979 hardline communist Khmer Rouge rule, has so far settled just one case.

It sentenced former prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, in February to life in jail for overseeing the deaths of some 15,000 people.

"Although it has finished only one case so far, I think it has provided something that can be a prerequisite for national reconciliation," Motoo Noguchi told a news conference in Tokyo.

Slow progress in Khmer Rouge court's Case 002

Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Bridget Di Certo
The Phnom Penh Post

With 78 days of hearings under its belt, Case 002 has already surpassed the total time spent hearing evidence in the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s landmark first case, against former S-21 chairman Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch.

During the 72 days of hearings in the case against Duch, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in February this year by the tribunal’s Supreme Court Chamber, a total of 33 expert, fact and character witnesses and 22 civil parties were heard.

But progress has not been as swift in the exceedingly complex Case 002 proceedings against three surviving elderly leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Fears grow for early end to Khmer Rouge trial

"Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea has denied charges including war crimes and genocide (AFP/HO/File, Nhet Sokheng)

24 June 2012
By Michelle Fitzpatrick (AFP)

"I'd rather have a nice clean trial," [Ieng Sary's lawyer, Michael Karnavas] said. "You invited me to the party, now let's dance. But you can't be changing the rules in the middle of the party."

PHNOM PENH — Health and funding woes are threatening a flagship Khmer Rouge trial, experts say, kindling fears that the elderly defendants may never answer for the worst of Cambodia's "Killing Fields" era.

The three most senior surviving leaders of the brutal regime stand accused of some of the gravest crimes in modern history for their roles in up to two million deaths in the late 1970s.

Worried the octogenarians would not live to see a verdict, judges at a UN-backed court in Phnom Penh split their complex case into smaller trials, saving the most serious atrocities for later proceedings.

But seven months into their slow-moving first "mini-trial", concern is mounting that the court -- faced with a worsening funding crunch and fresh fears over the accused's health -- will be unable to finish the entire case.

Ailing Khmer Rouge leader falls ill during trial

Ieng Sary (Photo: AFP)

The Khmer Rouge's former foreign minister was admitted to hospital Thursday after suffering breathing difficulties during his atrocities trial at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court, officials said.

Thu, 17 May 2012

Agence France-Presse

Ieng Sary, 86, is the eldest and most frail of the three ex-regime leaders in the dock for their roles in the deaths of up to two million people in the late 1970s.

"He experienced some breathing difficulties," said court spokesman Lars Olsen, adding that the accused would remain in hospital in Phnom Penh overnight.

The seriousness of his condition was not known, Olsen said.

Health concerns have long hung over the court due to the ages of defendants, but it is the first time that any of the octogenarians have been taken to hospital since their trial opened late last year.

Ieng Sary, who suffers from a number of ailments including heart and back problems, was not in the courtroom when he fell ill, but judges halted the questioning of a witness to instruct his counsel to check on their client.

More Silence From Khmer Rouge Leaders on Trial

Former Khmer Rouge second-in-command Nuon Chea, former President Khieu Samphan and former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary (L-R) attend their trial at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on the outskirts of Phnom Penh (Reuters file photo)

Thursday, 12 January 2012
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“When they do not cooperate with the court, it means they have something to hide.”

Jailed Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan refused to answer questions from the UN-backed tribunal on Thursday, cutting short the day’s session.

Khieu Samphan, the former head of state for the regime, is on trial for atrocity crimes alongside the regime’s ideologue, Nuon Chea, and its former foreign minister, Ieng Sary.

Nuon Chea refused to answer questions about a revolutionary magazine on Tuesday unless presented with the original copies, and Ieng Sary has said he will answer no questions from the court.

2011 a Critical Year for Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Spokesman

Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“We have worked quickly and efficiently.” (sic!)

The past year was “very important” for the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal, a court spokesman said last week, in which the court took crucial steps toward a trial of jailed regime leaders.

Sok Khemara hosts 'Hello VOA' 26 December, 2011

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The trial of Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary for atrocity crimes, including genocide, is now under way.

The final Supreme Court sentencing is expected for the completed trial of Kaing Kek Iev, the Tuol Sleng prison commandant better known as Duch.

A fourth suspect, Ieng Thirith has been found mentally unfit to stand trial, though she remains in detention.

Legacy of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal

December 17, 2011
By Jackie Mulryne
The Platform (UK)

On Monday 5 December, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (‘ECCC’), better known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, started hearing evidence in Case 002. After waiting for over 30 years, the Cambodian people have finally got the opportunity to witness the case against the leaders of the Khmer Rouge, and hope to see justice done.

This trial is the second the Court has presided over. The first case, Case 001, was against KaingGuekEav alias Duch, the former Chairman of the notorious S-21 Security Center in Phnom Penh where over 20,000 people were detained and later executed. On 26 July 2010, Duch was found guilty of crimes against humanity, torture, and murder, and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Case 002 is more significant as it involves more senior members of the Khmer Rouge, including NuonChea, or “Brother No.2”, the most senior member of the organisation still alive. The other defendants are IengSary, the former Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, and KhieuSamphan, the former Head of State. These defendants are accused of presiding over the brutal Khmer Rouge regime and are charged with, among other things, crimes against humanity, genocide, and torture.

Illness, fading memories give K.Rouge trial slow start

Sunday, December 11, 2011
By Michelle Fitzpatrick (AFP)

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's historic Khmer Rouge trial has barely begun but one verdict is already in: the fragile health and failing memories of the elderly accused and witnesses will make for a long, slow road to justice.

More than three decades after up to two million people died in the country's "Killing Fields" era, a UN-backed tribunal began hearing evidence over the past week in the case against the Khmer Rouge's three most senior surviving leaders.

For the hundreds of Cambodians who came to the Phnom Penh court each day hoping for answers that could shed light on the secretive 1975-1979 regime, the proceedings proved an exercise in patience -- punctuated by frequent bathroom breaks.

Staying Alive with the Khmer Rouge

Friday, 09 December 2011
Written by James Pringle
Asia Sentinel

As foreign minister, Ieng Sary always liked to fly first class, with a retinue of male and female cadres in tow, informants said. He would usually buy fragrant French perfumes, for whom one does not know.

Escaping murder by fixing bicycles and watches

With the trial of three ageing Khmer Rouge leaders underway in Phnom Penh, many Cambodians who may not have thought of their onetime oppressors in years are talking again about how the days of their youth were spent under grinding and deadly Khmer Rouge rule.

Some said they had found ways to stay alive, while others, such as family members and friends, had perished from overwork or lack of food.

A watchmaker near the central market in Phnom Penh, who somehow brought my battered old Rolex back to life, told me the other day that a knowledge of watch-repairing could save your life in Democratic Kampuchea.

While everyone without exception had to labor 12 or 14 hours in the fields, he recalled an uncle whose skill in repairing and cleaning the favorite watch of the Khmer Rouge fighters, which, at that time, was an Orient, a self-winding, mechanical watch produced then in Japan, made him less likely to be executed in the arbitrary way of the Khmer Rouge, and earned him a little extra rice, enough to ensure survival for him and immediate family.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Killing fields justice: A witness to history being made

Nuon Chea, aka ‘Brother No. 2’; Former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan; Former Khmer Rouge Foreign Minister Ieng Sary

Thursday, 08 December 2011
Christopher G Moore
The Phnom Penh Post

At 9.00am, Monday, 21 November 2011, the beige curtains were slowly peeled back before an audience of roughly 600 people. The moment was like something out of The Wizard of Oz: the expectation of what lies behind the levers of power inevitably results in disappointment.

Three men in their 80s sat on the right side of the chambers. Each of the trio was charged with crimes against humanity, genocide and violations of the Geneva Conventions. Along with Pol Pot, these men had been top Khmer Rouge policymakers. As the political architects of death that defined the Khmer Rouge, they were on trial before a court of law.

Seated with the accused, their lawyers, dressed in black gowns, listened to the charges against their clients. Uniformed security personnel kept the accused under a watchful eye. At 9.05am, everyone on both sides of the glass enclosure stood as seven robed judges filed in and took their places on the bench.

Court to question accused Khmer Rouge trio

Nuon Chea (left) told a judge that the 1970s revolution was aimed at freeing Cambodia from colonialism [Reuters]

Former senior figures in Cambodian regime responsible for 1.7 million deaths face questioning by UN-backed tribunal.

05 Dec 2011 04:07
Al Jazeera

Three senior leaders of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime face questioning at a UN-backed tribunal for the first time over their roles in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people when their movement held power in the 1970s.

The three defendants, all in their 80s, sat side by side in the court on Monday as the judge opened the day's proceedings.

The long-awaited trial began late last month with opening statements, and this week the court is expected to focus on charges involving the forced movement of people and crimes against humanity.

UN-backed Cambodian tribunal to question Khmer Rouge leaders for first time over atrocities

Sunday, December 4, 2011
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Three senior leaders of Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime will be questioned at a U.N.-backed tribunal for the first time Monday over their roles in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people when their movement held power in the 1970s.

The three defendants, all in their 80s, sat side by side in the court Monday as the judge opened the day’s proceedings. The long-awaited trial began late last month with opening statements, and this week the court is expected to focus on charges involving the forced movement of people and crimes against humanity.

After the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975, they began moving an estimated 1 million people — even hospital patients — from the capital into the countryside in an effort to create a communist agrarian utopia.

The defendants are accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, religious persecution, homicide and torture stemming from the group’s 1975-79 reign of terror. All have denied wrongdoing.

Cannibalism sets tone for Khmer Rouge trial

A Cambodian at the Tuol Sleng (formerly S-21 prison) Museum in Phnom Penh looks at some of the thousands of skulls and bones of 1.7 million Khmer Rouge victims. (Source: Supplied)

November 29, 2011
By MICHAEL SHERIDAN, PHNOM PENH
The Times

THE trial of three elderly leaders of the Khmer Rouge will hear harrowing new evidence next month about how the revolutionary movement emptied Cambodia's cities and killed 1.7 million of its people.

"You will hear evidence concerning the inner workings of the regime which you will not have heard before," said Andrew Cayley, the British co-prosecutor at the tribunal.

Cayley has become a prominent figure in Cambodia after making a searing speech of indictment last week in which he cited the Nuremberg trials of the Nazis and scorned the defendants' claims that they were not to blame. "They took from the people everything that makes life worth living: family, faith, education, a place to rear one's children, a place to lay one's head," he told the court as the three men sat unmoved. "They are the three most senior living members of a really terrible regime," continued Cayley, 47, who moves around Phnom Penh under police protection. "It was a different type of killing, but when you look at the Holocaust and you look at this, there is a similarity in the sense of the numbers and also the organisation. It was done in a different way, but it was highly organised and centralised in much the same way."

Opening Statements Conclude in Khmer Rouge Leaders Trial

November 25, 2011
Robert Carmichael | Phnom Penh
Voice of America

The Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia wrapped up its opening hearings this week. Prosecutors laid out their case against three individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity that were committed while serving in top leadership positions in the movement.

It took the prosecution one and a half days to put its argument against the Khmer Rouge leaders to the court.

International co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley said the leaders of the Communist Party of Kampuchea - or CPK - believed they had discovered the secret to waging a successful communist revolution, a solution that other revolutions had failed to grasp.

After Three Days of Trial, Three Denials of Guilt

Former Khmer Rouge second-in-command Nuon Chea, former President Khieu Samphan and former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary (L-R) attend their trial at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, November 21, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Reporters, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“I never assisted in decisions of big questions.”

Jailed Khmer Rouge defendant Khieu Samphan offered an opening statement to the UN-backed tribunal on Wednesday, saying he wanted prosecutors to apologize for accusations made against him and denying all knowledge of the atrocities taking place while he was the nominal head of state for the regime.

Khieu Samphan is on trial for atrocity crimes at the court, alongside Nuon Chea, the regime’s Brother No. 2, and Ieng Sary, its foreign minister. Wednesday marked the third day of the first substantial hearing for the three men, in a landmark trial that will be the most complicated for the tribunal to date.

In a statement to Trial Chamber judges, Khieu Samphan said the indictment against him linking him to mass atrocities of the regime were “a guess” without evidence.

“I request that sir and madam apologize to me,” he said, referring to the court’s international and national prosecutors, who allege he and the other two men engaged in joint criminal acts against the Cambodian people.

Khmer Rouge Trial Missing a Marquee Defendant

Former Khmer Rouge Head of State Khieu Samphan and deputy leader Noun Chea are seen in the courtroom during a public hearing at the ECCC. (European Press photo Agency/ECCC)

November 21, 2011
By Shibani Mahtani
The Wall Street Journal

More than three decades after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the trial of some of its most senior surviving leaders – all adamant about their innocence – began today with one notable absence.

One of the four “inner circle” members of the regime accused of genocide and crimes against humanity was excused from the long-awaited trials. Ieng Tirith, wife of the regime’s international face Ieng Sary and herself minister of social affairs during Khmer Rouge rule, was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial due Alzheimer’s disease and ordered to be unconditionally released.

Though prosecutors have appealed the decision, it has raised yet again the question that victims and activists have long-feared: Will the remaining Khmer Rouge leaders fall prey to old age before they can be held to account for atrocities they are alleged to have committed?

Prosecutor at Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge trial says henchmen cannot shift blame to Pol Pot [... yet they will!]

Monday, November 21, 2011Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Pol Pot’s close confederates cannot solely blame their late leader for the atrocities that took place under Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime, a prosecutor at the country’s U.N.-backed genocide tribunal said Tuesday.

Andrew Cayley said that like Pol Pot, the three aging former members of the regime now on trial exercised life-and-death authority over Cambodia while in power in 1975-79.

“The accused cannot credibly claim they did not know and had no control over the crimes that occurred” when the group ruled what they called Democratic Kampuchea, he said.

An estimated 1.7 million people died of execution, starvation, exhaustion or lack of medical care as a result of the Khmer Rouge’s radical policies, which sought to create a pure agrarian socialist society.

Historic Trial Opens for Aging Khmer Rouge Leaders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHH6OmBeiTQ

Khmer Rouge leaders' trial opens

21 Nov 2011
UKPA

Three top Khmer Rouge leaders accused of orchestrating Cambodia's "killing fields" have gone on trial before a UN-backed tribunal more than three decades after some of the 20th century's worst atrocities.

Judge Nil Nonn declared the trial open and read the names of the three senior Khmer Rouge leaders who are defendants in the tribunal in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The charges against the surviving inner circle of the communist movement, all now in their 80s, include crimes against humanity, genocide, religious persecution, homicide and torture stemming from their 1975-79 reign of terror.

Khmer Rouge trio accused of Cambodia's "worst horrors"

Former Khmer Rouge second-in-command Nuon Chea, former President Khieu Samphan and former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary (L-R) attend their trial at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on the outskirts of Phnom Penh November 21, 2011. The three most senior surviving commanders of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime masterminded one of the "worst horrors" of the 20th century, killing or enslaving millions of Cambodians, a U.N.-backed war crimes trial heard on Monday. In opening statements in one of the world"s most high-profile genocide trials, prosecutors said the three had called the shots in the bloody "Killing Fields" revolution that wiped out a quarter of the population and destroyed the lives of millions of survivors. REUTERS/Mark Peters/ECCC/Handout

Mon Nov 21, 2011
By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The three most senior surviving commanders of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime masterminded one of the "worst horrors" of the 20th century, killing or enslaving millions of Cambodians, a U.N.-backed war crimes trial heard on Monday.

In opening statements in one of the world's most high-profile genocide trials, prosecutors said former President Khieu Samphan, ex-Foreign Minister Ieng Sary and second-in-command Nuon Chea had called the shots in the bloody "Killing Fields" revolution that wiped out a quarter of the population and destroyed the lives of millions of survivors.

The three were top henchmen of Pol Pot, the late architect of the "Year Zero" revolution under Democratic Kampuchea, as the regime was known. Between 1.7 and 2.2 million people died from 1975-79 of torture, execution, disease, overwork or starvation.