Co-investigating judges at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) have announced that the alleged crimes of former S-21 prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, will be investigated separately from those of other higher-level Democratic Kampuchea (DK) figures, said an ECCC statement received on Friday.
Pre-trial investigation of Duch, charged in July with crimes against humanity, is expected to be concluded as early as the first half of 2008, so that a separation is beneficial and this part of the investigation can be closed without having to await the results of additional investigations, said the statement.
Meanwhile, co-investigating judge Marcel Lemonde told reporters that in comparison to other investigations such as that of Brother Number 2 Nuon Chea, Duch's case is relatively straightforward.
"The alleged crimes for Duch seem to be simpler so it seems possible to investigate them faster than the other," he said.
Duch's appeal against his provisional detention will be heard on November 20, which is ECCC's first courtroom proceedings.
Up to 14,000 were thought to have been tortured and executed at Duch's prison after confessions were forcibly extracted from them, local media said.
The United Nations and the Cambodian government co-installed ECCC two years ago to put former DK leaders on trial, whose regime were widely held responsible for the death of over a million people over starvation and sickness in the late 1990s.
Source: Xinhua
Pre-trial investigation of Duch, charged in July with crimes against humanity, is expected to be concluded as early as the first half of 2008, so that a separation is beneficial and this part of the investigation can be closed without having to await the results of additional investigations, said the statement.
Meanwhile, co-investigating judge Marcel Lemonde told reporters that in comparison to other investigations such as that of Brother Number 2 Nuon Chea, Duch's case is relatively straightforward.
"The alleged crimes for Duch seem to be simpler so it seems possible to investigate them faster than the other," he said.
Duch's appeal against his provisional detention will be heard on November 20, which is ECCC's first courtroom proceedings.
Up to 14,000 were thought to have been tortured and executed at Duch's prison after confessions were forcibly extracted from them, local media said.
The United Nations and the Cambodian government co-installed ECCC two years ago to put former DK leaders on trial, whose regime were widely held responsible for the death of over a million people over starvation and sickness in the late 1990s.
Source: Xinhua
