Light Duch Sentence a Failure of Justice: Victim

Hisham Moussa, (left), and Chum Sirath, (right), on 'Hello VOA'. (Photo: Heng Reaksmey)

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 03 August 2010

“I have seen that the feelings of victims want Duch to serve from now to life, as he might have freedom afterwards.”

The 19-year commuted sentence for convicted Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch is unlikely to provide a sense of justice to many people who lost family to his notorious torture center, a survivor and UN-backed tribunal monitor said Monday.

A tribunal conviction could have provided three steps toward reconciliation for victims, said Chum Sirath, a lawyer for civil parties who complained as part of the Khmer Rouge tribunal process.

First, justice must be acceptable to the victims, he said. Second, their satisfaction should lead to an alleviation of sadness. Finally, a sense of healing would bring reconciliation.
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