18 February 2009

Strong U.S. Support for Trial of Former Khmer Rouge Official

U.S. has given $1.5 million to court, but urges it to prevent corruption

The trial of former Khmer Rouge interrogation commander Duch began in Cambodia February 17.

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — As the trial of former Khmer Rouge official Kaing Guek Eav, better known as “Duch,” opened in Cambodia February 17, the United States said it has dispensed more than $1.5 million to support the joint Cambodian–United Nations tribunal, which is prosecuting human rights atrocities committed during the 1970s.

“We strongly support bringing to justice senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge regime,” State Department acting deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid said February 18, adding that the joint tribunal should proceed with its prosecutions “in a fair and transparent judicial process.”

Duch was a former head of the Tuol Sleng interrogation center, located in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. He is accused of presiding over the murder and systematic torture of at least 15,000 inmates.

Approximately 2 million people are believed to have been either executed or killed through starvation and overwork during the 1975–1979 Khmer Rouge regime, which killed suspected opponents and forced the inhabitants of Cambodian cities from their homes to work on collective farms.

The United States has given $1.5 million to help pay for the trials of former Khmer Rouge officials accused of genocide.

In 2006, Cambodia and the United Nations agreed on a joint tribunal to try surviving Khmer Rouge officials for their crimes.

Along with Duch, the court has indicted former President Khieu Samphan; former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary; former Minister for Social Affairs Ieng Thirith; and the Khmer Rouge’s chief ideologue, Nuon Chea. All are now elderly and reported to be in poor health.

Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge’s founder and leader, died in 1998.

The United States and others in the international community had previously expressed concern over corruption, mismanagement and political influence in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, also known as the “E-triple-C.”

However, on September 16, 2008, the State Department said it believed the body had improved to the point where it could meet “international standards of justice,” and former State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States would be providing $1.8 million to assist the court.

Acting deputy spokesman Duguid said $1.5 million has been dispensed.

“We believe the court has made significant strides to overcome international concerns about corruption and mismanagement,” Duguid said. However, he also called on it to “continue to be proactive in preventing corruption and addressing the previous allegations.”