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| Former Khmer Rouge Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith attends a hearing at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday in Phnom Penh. (Photo by: Reuters) |
Mary Kozlovski
The Phnom Penh Post
Former Khmer Rouge Social Action Minister Ieng Thirith has “dementia” and would likely “interrupt” proceedings if she were declared fit to stand trial in the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s upcoming second case, psychiatric experts testified yesterday.
United Kingdom forensic psychiatrist Seena Fazel and Cambodian psychiatrist Lina Huot testified that Alzheimer’s disease was the “most likely form of dementia” for the 79-year-old, who stands accused of war crimes and genocide.
The two experts testified that while “broadly speaking” Ieng Thirith grasped the charges against her, she did not have sufficient understanding to stand trial. “I think in all likelihood it would interrupt the smooth running of any trial,” Seena Fazel said in court.
“It’s likely her abilities will fluctuate, that there will be occasions where she may not be able to attend court and … where she’ll need some extra input from her legal team because of her problems with her memory.”
The two were among four psychiatric experts appointed by the court to conduct further assessment of Ieng Thirith, following hearings in August at which New Zealand geriatrician John Campbell stated that she would have “great difficulty” testifying in her own defence.
The hearing into Ieng Thirith’s fitness to stand trial will continue today, while a decision on former KR Brother Number Two Nuon Chea’s fitness to stand trial is pending.
Meanwhile, at a hearing on reparations for civil parties, civil party lawyers said they had concerned about the potential impact the recent severance of case 002 into a series of discrete trials could have on civil parties.
“Severing the case significantly alters the scope of our requests and we are in a confused situation,” civil party lead co-lawyer Elisabeth Simonneau Fort said in court.
Civil party lawyers are concerned more than half of the 4,000 civil parties in Case 002 may miss out on any reparations if there are no subsequent trials in Case 002 – a likely scenario given the advanced age of the four accused.
The Trial Chamber announced this week that opening statements in case 002, which is set to try the four remaining senior leaders of the KR regime, would commence on November 21.
2 comments:
The world should stop wondering why this KRT always has problems.
( above is a comment of our brother or sister on this KI-Media blog ).
My comment:
Heng Samrin , Chea Sim , So Phim , Kea Meas are former Khmer Viet Minh before they become Khmer Rouge between 1975-1979. Khmer Viet Minh were brainwashed and created by the Noth Viet Nam in the 1950s during fighting again French colony till Geneva Paris Peace in 1954 the leader of this movement known as Achar Mean or also know as Son Ngoc Minh left Cambodia after Geneva Paris Peace Agreemnet in 1954 to Hanoi and lived there till 1972 and left Hanoi in 1972 to China for medical treatment ( hight blood pressure and stroke )and passed away there in Chinese hospital in China.
Between 1975-1979 those Khmer Viet Minh who working alongside by Pol Pot were:
1. Heng Samrin.
2. Chea Sim .
3. So Phim.
4. Keo Meas.
So Heng Samrin, Chea Sim and many more wereformer khmer Viet Minh before they became Khmer Rouge and became hight ranking officials of CPP ( the ruling party ) .
Note:
Like Heng Samrin himself he used to lived in Hanoi for so many years. Keo Meas was a boss of So Phim . So Phim was a boss of Heng Samrin and Chea Sim . Cheas Sim and Heng Samrin were former military commanders of Hun Sen in Eastern Zone between 1975-1979.
A witch!
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