February 1st, 2011
by Andrew Roberts
carrentals.co.uk
Two Khmer Rouge leaders are scheduled to appear in Cambodian courts. The majority of the top ranking officials that were once part of the Khmer Rouge are elderly and some of them are in their eighties.
Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan will attend a preliminary hearing where they will ask to be let go from the pre-trial imprisonment. The preliminary hearing is supported by the UN. The top ranking officials of the Khmer Rouge could be charged with in the murders of thousands of Cambodians. Approximately 2 million people died in the country from 1975 to 1979.
Chea and Samphan have been imprisoned since 2007. Chea was ranked as second after Pol Pot and it is alleged that he created policies which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Cambodians. He was called Brother Number two and is now 84 years old. He claims that the Tribunal should not have increased the time that he is spending in detention before the trial.
Khieu Samphan (pictured) and Ieng Thirith will make similar claims. Thirith was once the social affairs minister and Samphan was the ex head of state. It is believed that Thirith will not be at the hearing. Analysts say that it is unlikely that the leaders will be released and predict that they will spend more time in detention prior to their trial. The trial is planned to start in 2011 but no fixed date has been arranged. Comrades Dutch was convicted during the previous year for crimes against humanity.
Two Khmer Rouge leaders are scheduled to appear in Cambodian courts. The majority of the top ranking officials that were once part of the Khmer Rouge are elderly and some of them are in their eighties.
Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan will attend a preliminary hearing where they will ask to be let go from the pre-trial imprisonment. The preliminary hearing is supported by the UN. The top ranking officials of the Khmer Rouge could be charged with in the murders of thousands of Cambodians. Approximately 2 million people died in the country from 1975 to 1979.
Chea and Samphan have been imprisoned since 2007. Chea was ranked as second after Pol Pot and it is alleged that he created policies which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Cambodians. He was called Brother Number two and is now 84 years old. He claims that the Tribunal should not have increased the time that he is spending in detention before the trial.
Khieu Samphan (pictured) and Ieng Thirith will make similar claims. Thirith was once the social affairs minister and Samphan was the ex head of state. It is believed that Thirith will not be at the hearing. Analysts say that it is unlikely that the leaders will be released and predict that they will spend more time in detention prior to their trial. The trial is planned to start in 2011 but no fixed date has been arranged. Comrades Dutch was convicted during the previous year for crimes against humanity.
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