First Khmer Rouge Trial Begins Final Hearings in Cambodia

Photo released by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia shows a general view of the U.N.-backed tribunal court hall while Kaing Guek Eav iis being tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 23 Nov 2009

The court has heard how Kang Guek Eav, also known as Duch, ran the S-21 death camp.

Phnom Penh 23 November 2009
By Luke Hunt
Voice of America

In Cambodia, the final hearings have begun in the first trial of a Khmer Rouge leader.

The court has heard how Kang Guek Eav, also known as Duch, ran the S-21 death camp. Sixteen thousand people are thought to have been held there before being executed by the Khmer Rouge government between 1975 and 1979.

Duch has pleaded no contest and given evidence that 196 such camps existed. At the camps, favorite methods of torture ranged from electric shocks and whips to water-boarding.

In their arguments representatives of S-21 victims said Duch sought to minimize his involvement as commandant of the camp throughout the trial, which began in February.

The court also heard that ultimate responsibility for the death camps rests with Nuon Chea, known as Brother Number Two, who is awaiting trial.

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