By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Press Telegram
LONG BEACH - Cambodians in Long Beach reacted with only tempered satisfaction at news from their homeland that a guilty verdict had been delivered in a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
But many felt the punishment didn't come close to fitting the crimes.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia on Monday found Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, guilty of crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and sentenced him to 35 years imprisonment. However, with time served and other credits, the sentence will be reduced to 19 years.
Duch, 67, ran the notorious S-21 detention center, where an estimated 16,000 and a minimum of 12,000 people were detained, tortured and executed.
During the 1975-1979 reign of the Khmer Rouge, upwards of 2 million Cambodians were executed or died of starvation, disease and deprivation.
Sarah Pol-Lim, director of the United Cambodian Community, shared the same reaction to the verdict as several elders in her group.
Pol-Lim, a survivor who lost family members to the Killing Fields-era atrocities, said the 35-year prison term was too lenient.
"(The elders) feel 35 years is not good enough and I can't blame them," Pol-Lim said. "I just want an apology. Thirty-five years can't bring my father and three brothers back."
However, she did admit that at least the verdict helped bring some sense of justice and closure.
"It's a good start," she said.
Sithea San, another survivor, echoed Pol-Lim's view about the leniency to the 35-year sentence rather than life in prison. Cambodia does not have a death penalty.
San hoped the verdict would serve as a message to other perpetrators "because it shows that whatever you did to people, don't think you can get away with it. In the past people always got away with it. This at least shows that, hey, you're responsible."
Bryant Ben wasn't at all mollified by the sentence.
"To me it's just a joke," Ben said. "It's like you get shot with a shotgun and you put a Band-Aid on it."
Although it has been more than 30 years since the Khmer Rouge were driven from power, Duch is the first member of the regime to be convicted. The verdict was handed down almost eight months after closing arguments and a 72-day trial.
The Chamber decided there were factors that mitigated against the imposition of a life term. These included cooperation with the Chamber, admission of responsibility, limited expressions of remorse and the coercive environment in Democratic Kampuchea.
Later this year, four higher ranking members of the Khmer Rouge, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith are scheduled to stand trial. Unlike Duch, none have admitted responsibility or shown remorse.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
But many felt the punishment didn't come close to fitting the crimes.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia on Monday found Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, guilty of crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and sentenced him to 35 years imprisonment. However, with time served and other credits, the sentence will be reduced to 19 years.
Duch, 67, ran the notorious S-21 detention center, where an estimated 16,000 and a minimum of 12,000 people were detained, tortured and executed.
During the 1975-1979 reign of the Khmer Rouge, upwards of 2 million Cambodians were executed or died of starvation, disease and deprivation.
Sarah Pol-Lim, director of the United Cambodian Community, shared the same reaction to the verdict as several elders in her group.
Pol-Lim, a survivor who lost family members to the Killing Fields-era atrocities, said the 35-year prison term was too lenient.
"(The elders) feel 35 years is not good enough and I can't blame them," Pol-Lim said. "I just want an apology. Thirty-five years can't bring my father and three brothers back."
However, she did admit that at least the verdict helped bring some sense of justice and closure.
"It's a good start," she said.
Sithea San, another survivor, echoed Pol-Lim's view about the leniency to the 35-year sentence rather than life in prison. Cambodia does not have a death penalty.
San hoped the verdict would serve as a message to other perpetrators "because it shows that whatever you did to people, don't think you can get away with it. In the past people always got away with it. This at least shows that, hey, you're responsible."
Bryant Ben wasn't at all mollified by the sentence.
"To me it's just a joke," Ben said. "It's like you get shot with a shotgun and you put a Band-Aid on it."
Although it has been more than 30 years since the Khmer Rouge were driven from power, Duch is the first member of the regime to be convicted. The verdict was handed down almost eight months after closing arguments and a 72-day trial.
The Chamber decided there were factors that mitigated against the imposition of a life term. These included cooperation with the Chamber, admission of responsibility, limited expressions of remorse and the coercive environment in Democratic Kampuchea.
Later this year, four higher ranking members of the Khmer Rouge, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith are scheduled to stand trial. Unlike Duch, none have admitted responsibility or shown remorse.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
No comments:
Post a Comment