Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Trial Begins, but Value of Process in Question

The second major trial of top Khmer Rouge leaders began Monday, but questions remained about whether the prosecutions would expand to other members of the regime even as Cambodia works to get beyond its past.

June 28, 2011
BY LARISA EPATKO
PBS Newshour (USA)

A trial meant to bring closure to Cambodians still suffering from the memory of the communist Khmer Rouge regime is continuing to raise questions about the extent of the prosecutions and the value of the judicial process itself.

Pre-trial hearings began Monday for four senior-most members of the Khmer Rouge regime accused of war crimes and genocide during Pol Pot’s rule from 1975-1979, when an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians were killed.

All four defendants are expected to enter not guilty pleas. They are Nuon Chea, 84, Khieu Samphan, 79, former foreign minister Ieng Sary, 85, and his wife Ieng Thirith, 79. Pol Pot died under house arrest in 1998 at age 72.

We spoke with GlobalPost reporter Sebastian Strangio in Phnom Penh about how the trial is being perceived within the country.

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