Former Khmer Rouge Foreign Minister Ieng Sary sits in a court room on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
PHNOM PENH - LAWYERS for former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary urged Cambodia's UN-backed court on Wednesday to free the elderly war crimes suspect ahead of his genocide trial.
The 85-year-old's defence team argued that his continued detention was illegal because their client's case had not been heard within four months of the issue of the indictment in September, surpassing a court 'deadline'.
One of the few public faces of the secretive regime, Ieng Sary faces charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide over the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and execution in 1975-1979.
He has been hospitalised several times for a heart condition and blood in his urine since his arrest in 2007.
His lawyers called for his 'immediate release', or that he be confined to his home in Phnom Penh. He is currently being held at a purpose-built detention facility near the court.
'House arrest will ensure his presence for the trial, will ensure that he doesn't flee the country, and would also ensure that no harm comes to him or to others,' argued defence lawyer Michael Karnavas. -- AFP
3 comments:
this is the first time i ever saw the look of him, that son of bitch former khmer rouge leader
At first Khmer Rouge organization was a combination of pro-China and Pro-Hanoi. Salath Sar(Pol Pot), Kiev Sompharn, Ieng Sary, and a few other were consider as pro-China. They distrust Hanoi. They disobeying Hanoi's policy of secret annexasion of Cambodia with Vietnam. These guys were Hanoi apprentice in the early days. They would be the tools to assist Hanoi in fullfilling that agenda. This was Hanoi's obsession of Nam Tien. If necessary, wipeout all Khmer race in order to take their territory. After Hanoi showed its true color, Pol Pot became paranoid of seeing Cambodia becoming second Kampuchea Krom. Pol Pot knows too much of Hanio agenda. According to Pol Pot, he did not order such killing but some lower echelon commanders take matters into their own hands. It was deliberately setup to cause mass confusion and chaos of killngs. So somewhere along that chain of commands, order were not carry through. The distrust and accusation of betray run rampants among the Khmer Rouge organization. They didn't trust each other because anyone of them could turn them in as traitor. This was one of many reason of widespread killings. At the end, pro-China Khmer Rouge members stand trial for mass murder, while pro-Hanio Khmer Rouge members walk freely. All thanks to Hun Sen and Hanoi protection.
yes, please,, please, release him from the trial as requested by his lawyer
in fact, his was very patriot man to defense our country from the outsider
my father n relatives also died in that regime, however, 35 years passed by, let forget it, put it behind n move forward...
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