Duch trial may be first and last

24 February 2010
By Jared Ferie, Phnom Penh
International Justice Desk (IJT)

When the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) hands down its first verdict in the coming weeks, it will be a landmark for a tribunal mired in allegations of political interference. It will also be a judgment on a man who admitted responsibility for torture and killings at a Khmer Rouge prison he ran, but simultaneously argued that he was following orders he could not reject.

That bipolar dynamic emerged the first day that Kaing Guek Eav, better known as “Duch”, addressed the court. “I would like to apologize to all surviving victims and their families who were mercilessly killed at S-21,” he said. “It is my hope, however, that you would at least leave the door open for forgiveness.”

But as he carried on, his appeal grew murkier. He said he asked for another job when he was first ordered to take over the prison, but his request was rejected. “I was forced to accept the position, and so I agreed,” said Duch, explaining that he and his family would have faced the same fate as his victims if he continued to protest.

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