This week, almost 30 years after the end of the Khmer Rouge regime, the co-prosecutors for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) announced the filing of their introductory submission to the co-investigating judges. While the exact contents of the submission are confidential, the prosecutors revealed that they had identified five suspects responsible for atrocities including crimes against humanity, genocide, murder, and torture. Given that the court's scope is limited to senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge, there are four likely candidates: Nuon Chea, a.k.a. "Brother Number Two", Pol Pot's right-hand man and the alleged architect of Khmer Rouge ideology; Khieu Samphan, the head of state and spokesperson for the Khmer Rouge; Ieng Sary, the Khmer Rouge Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Kaing Khek Iev, a.k.a. Duch, the head of the Khmer Rouge's main torture center, Tuol Sleng. What is their response to the upcoming trials? Chea claims that, as president of the National Assembly, he did not know what the government was doing and had no intention to kill his people. Asserting that the tribunal members couldn't know what happened because they weren't there and that it's hard to remember what happened 30 years ago, Chea chuckled and said, "See you in court." Similarly, Samphan has asserted that he was a leader only in name and never conspired to kill the Cambodian people -- and that his mind is confused. He has reportedly signed on his old friend Jacques Verges, with whom he studied at the Sorbonne, to defend him. Sary also refuses to acknowledge his responsibility for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge, claiming that he did not know about the killings and "was only in charge of foreign affairs." Faced with over 14,000 pages of documentary evidence, it may be difficult for these three to maintain their claims of ignorance for long. Duch, who has been in prison since 1999, may be the only one of the four who welcomed the news of the trial. A warmer welcome, of course, came from Cambodians who suffered under the Khmer Rouge regime, including one who stated, "I am delighted they will be brought to trial, because they have caused the death of more than 30 of my relatives." Given the deaths of Pol Pot, a.k.a. "Brother Number One" and Ta Mok, a.k.a. "the Butcher", the identity of the fifth suspect is not yet clear.
See you in court!
This week, almost 30 years after the end of the Khmer Rouge regime, the co-prosecutors for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) announced the filing of their introductory submission to the co-investigating judges. While the exact contents of the submission are confidential, the prosecutors revealed that they had identified five suspects responsible for atrocities including crimes against humanity, genocide, murder, and torture. Given that the court's scope is limited to senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge, there are four likely candidates: Nuon Chea, a.k.a. "Brother Number Two", Pol Pot's right-hand man and the alleged architect of Khmer Rouge ideology; Khieu Samphan, the head of state and spokesperson for the Khmer Rouge; Ieng Sary, the Khmer Rouge Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Kaing Khek Iev, a.k.a. Duch, the head of the Khmer Rouge's main torture center, Tuol Sleng. What is their response to the upcoming trials? Chea claims that, as president of the National Assembly, he did not know what the government was doing and had no intention to kill his people. Asserting that the tribunal members couldn't know what happened because they weren't there and that it's hard to remember what happened 30 years ago, Chea chuckled and said, "See you in court." Similarly, Samphan has asserted that he was a leader only in name and never conspired to kill the Cambodian people -- and that his mind is confused. He has reportedly signed on his old friend Jacques Verges, with whom he studied at the Sorbonne, to defend him. Sary also refuses to acknowledge his responsibility for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge, claiming that he did not know about the killings and "was only in charge of foreign affairs." Faced with over 14,000 pages of documentary evidence, it may be difficult for these three to maintain their claims of ignorance for long. Duch, who has been in prison since 1999, may be the only one of the four who welcomed the news of the trial. A warmer welcome, of course, came from Cambodians who suffered under the Khmer Rouge regime, including one who stated, "I am delighted they will be brought to trial, because they have caused the death of more than 30 of my relatives." Given the deaths of Pol Pot, a.k.a. "Brother Number One" and Ta Mok, a.k.a. "the Butcher", the identity of the fifth suspect is not yet clear.
