| English.news.cn 2011-06-30 20:49:23 |
The four senior leaders are identified as Khieu Samphan, chairman of the State Presidium; Nuon Chea, deputy secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of the Assembly; Ieng Sary, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs; and his wife, Ieng Thirith, minister of social affairs.
However, the ruling on the hearing will be announced in yet specified date, but within this year, according to presiding judge Nil Nonn.
The four leaders who are charged with crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crime were summoned for appearance at the court for the four day hearing, but many of them were later returned to their detention facility or to a video link room, citing their health problems, except Khieu Samphan who claimed that he is in good health.
The hearing was not binding with the substance and the responsibilities related to the three specific crimes as charged, but it was only hearing on the list of witnesses, experts and civil parties or representatives of the victims and as well as the preliminary objections on the amnesty, statute of limitations in relation to grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and on statutory limitations in relation to offenses contained in the criminal code in Cambodia.
The four-day hearing was proclaimed as a "success" and all parties appeared at the court made no disagreement on this.
The ECCC was established in 2006 and is set to try senior leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea and those most responsible for crimes committed in between 1975 to 1979.
To date, the court is targeting to try only five leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea regime, including Kaing Guek Ieu, known as Duch, chief of Tuol Sleng Center or S-21 prison in Phnom Penh.
Duch was already sentenced by the court last year to 35 years in jail, but is deserved to spend only another 19 years in jail, deducting from his pre-trial detention since arrest.
On the first day of the initial hearing, Nuon Chea said he "was not happy with hearing" and after which his defense team explained that their client is happy with the process unless investigations are to be done with the United States and Vietnam -- both of which are partly blamed for the deaths of many Cambodians during war times.
Khieu Samphan, on the other hand, said he will try to cooperate with the court to tell what he knew and what he learned about the regime.
Leaders of Democratic Kampuchea or commonly known as Khmer Rouge have been blamed for deaths of 1.7 million peoples during their ruling from 1975 to 1979.
Since the establishment of the court in 2006, about 150 million U.S. dollars was spent up to last year, and it might need about 40 million U.S. dollars more for this year as involving with more senior leaders and the appealing case concerning Duch has not been yet wrapped up.
Editor: Yang Lina |
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