In a landmark ruling Monday, an UN-backed tribunal convicted a former Khmer Rouge official of war crimes and crimes against humanity. While the verdict was widely received as a triumph of international justice, many Cambodians were angered by a sentence they felt was far too lenient.
27 July 2010
By Jared Ferrie, Phnom Penh
Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Kain Guek Eav, better known by his nom de guerre, “Duch”, was sentenced to 35 years incarceration for overseeing a prison where as many as 17,000 people were tortured before being killed during the regime’s reign from 1975 to 1979. But judges at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) reduced that by 16 years, giving him credit for time served as well as his illegal detention in a Cambodian military prison before he was handed over to the tribunal.
Duch now has 19 years left to serve, raising the possibility that the 67-year-old could one day be released – a prospect that enraged victims of the regime who were hoping judges would sentence him to prison for the rest of his life.
“What is unacceptable is to envision him as a free man even for one minute in the public sphere. He should be receiving many life sentences,” said Theary Seng, whose family members were murdered by the regime, including an uncle who may have been tortured at Duch’s Tuol Sleng or S-21 prison.
Ms. Seng spoke to reporters outside the court in Phnom Penh, but Cambodians throughout the country had similar reactions after watching the judgment on television or listening on the radio. The Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam) held public screenings in seven provinces and organisers said many villagers reacted in shock to the verdict.
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Duch now has 19 years left to serve, raising the possibility that the 67-year-old could one day be released – a prospect that enraged victims of the regime who were hoping judges would sentence him to prison for the rest of his life.
“What is unacceptable is to envision him as a free man even for one minute in the public sphere. He should be receiving many life sentences,” said Theary Seng, whose family members were murdered by the regime, including an uncle who may have been tortured at Duch’s Tuol Sleng or S-21 prison.
Ms. Seng spoke to reporters outside the court in Phnom Penh, but Cambodians throughout the country had similar reactions after watching the judgment on television or listening on the radio. The Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam) held public screenings in seven provinces and organisers said many villagers reacted in shock to the verdict.
Please click here to read more...
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