International court declares Khmer Rouge guilty of genocide

Defendants Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea. Photo: BBC

In the trial on the morning of November 16, the International Tribunal for the Crimes of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (ECCC) ruled that the Khmer Rouge government committed "genocide" in Cambodia during the period from 1975 to 1979.

"The court declares that the Khmer Rouge regime committed genocide against the Vietnamese and Cham Muslims in Cambodia," said the presiding judge, Nil Nonn. This is the first time the special court has made such a ruling in four decades.

This is a historic ruling by the ECCC.

The ECCC has issued a verdict against two defendants, Nuon Chea (92 years old), who was considered the "right-hand man" of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, and Khieu Samphan (87 years old), nicknamed "the fourth brother" and played the role of President of Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge period. In 2014, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan were sentenced to life imprisonment by the ECCC for crimes against humanity, ordering murder, political repression and atrocities.

Speaking at a press conference, ECCC First Instance Court spokesman Neth Pheaktra said the trial was witnessed by United Nations (UN) officials, government representatives, representatives of embassies, and about 500 Cambodian people.

“The above judgment is a historic event for the ECCC, Cambodia, the world and for international justice,” Mr. Neth Pheaktra affirmed. “If there is no appeal, the judgment will immediately take effect. In the opposite case, the complaint will be filed with the Supreme Court.”

ECCC spokesman Neth Pheaktra with a photo of former Khmer Rouge leaders Khieu Samphan and Nuun Chea at a press conference. Photo: japantimes

According to the above official, to be able to give the results and close the case, the court spent 283 days investigating and questioning, from October 17, 2014 to January 11, 2017. During the investigation, the investigation agency took statements from 185 people, including 114 witnesses, 63 people in the civil category, and 8 experts. He said that case 002/02 had to spend a long time investigating and trying because of its complexity, with many individuals involved, and many victims, many documents and the court had to conduct translation in three languages.

Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), Mr. Youk Chhang expressed hope that the verdict would end "the sad story in our country, although the wound is very deep, but it has ended".

The ECCC is a special court in Cambodia established by the United Nations and the Cambodian Government in 2006 to try the crimes of Khmer Rouge leaders during the genocide. According to a report by the ECCC, the total cost of the court since its inception in 2006 - 2017 is 318.9 million USD, of which Japan contributed the most with 29%, followed by countries such as the United States and Australia. However, in recent years, the ECCC has had to suspend operations several times due to a lack of operating funds, especially the cost of paying salaries for Cambodian legal staff.