Published: 16/09/2012
AFP & Bangkok Post
The former "First Lady" of Cambodia's murderous
Khmer Rouge regime was freed on Sunday, a court official said, after the
country's war crimes tribunal had ruled she was unfit to stand trial.
Former
Khmer Rouge minister Ieng Thirith (right), sits in the court room
during a hearing at the Extraodinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia
(ECCC) in Phnom Penh, in 2009. Family ties helped Ieng Thirith reach the
highest levels of power in the Khmer Rouge, a regime that tore children
from parents and husbands from wives in its murderous bid to remake
Cambodian society.
Ieng Thirith, 80, who experts say has
Alzheimer's disease, was driven in a convoy with police and officials
from the purpose-built detention facility at the Phnom Penh court where
she has been held since 2007.
"The accused Ieng Thirith has been released with some provisional conditions," court spokesman Neth Pheaktra told AFP.
"She was picked up by her children," he added, without giving details of where the genocide suspect would be taken.
The
release of the ex-social affairs minister, one of only a handful of
people ever brought before a court over atrocities during the Khmer
Rouge era, will come as a bitter blow to many who survived the 1975-1979
regime, blamed for the deaths of up to two million people.
Cambodia's
UN-backed tribunal ordered her release on Thursday but the move was
delayed after prosecutors requested tighter conditions.
In a
statement on Sunday, the court's highest appeal body said it had agreed
to impose extra provisional conditions, including that she registers her
address and must relinquish her passport and other travel documents.
It will make a final decision on conditions at a later date.
Judges
said on Thursday that Ieng Thirith would be incapable of remembering or
adhering to any rules, though they stipulated she should not interfere
in the case in any way and should remain in Cambodia.
Charges of
war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity against Ieng Thirith,
who was the sister-in-law of the late regime leader Pol Pot, have not
been withdrawn.
Three other senior Khmer Rouge leaders, including her husband Ieng Sary, are currently on trial accused of the same atrocities.
This
case -- only the second ever heard by the court -- is seen as vital to
healing mental scars in Cambodia, but campaigners have voiced dismay at
the slow progress of proceedings given the advanced age of the
defendants.
The health of Ieng Sary, 86, is of particular concern. The frail former foreign minister is currently in hospital with fatigue.
The
court has so far jailed just one man -- former Khmer Rouge prison chief
Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, who was sentenced to life in jail
this year for overseeing the deaths of some 15,000 people.
Led by
"Brother Number One" Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge
dismantled modern society and wiped out nearly a quarter of the
population through starvation, overwork and execution in a bid to create
an agrarian utopia.
One of the few women in the Khmer Rouge
leadership, Paris-educated Ieng Thirith is believed to have been
involved in some of the movement's most drastic policies.
She
remained a staunch defender of the regime long after its demise in the
1990s, but consistently denied the charges brought against her since her
2007 arrest.
Owing to fears that not all the suspects will live
to see a verdict, the court has split their complex second case into
several smaller trials, starting with the forced evacuation of Phnom
Penh and related crimes against humanity.
The trials have been
dogged by funding problems and accusations of political interference
from Cambodia's current government, which counts many former Khmer Rouge
figures within its ranks.
លោកស្រី អៀង ធីរិទ្ធ ត្រូវបានដោះលែង ជាបណ្តោះអាសន្ន
លោកស្រី អៀង ធីរិទ្ធ ត្រូវបានដោះលែង ជាបណ្តោះអាសន្ន
ភ្នំពេញ៖ ជនជាប់ចោទ អៀង ធីរិទ្ធ
ត្រូវបានអង្គជំនុំជម្រះតុលាការរកំពូល នៃសាលាក្តីខ្មែរ ក្រហមដោះលែង
ជាបណ្តោះអាសន្ន នៅវេលាម៉ោង១និង៤០នាទីថ្ងៃទី១៦ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ២០១២នេះ ។
យោងតាមសេចក្តីប្រកាសព័ត៌មានរបស់ អ.វ.ត.ក
ដែលចេញផ្សាយនៅថ្ងៃទី១៦ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ ដែលមជ្ឈ
មណ្ឌលព័ត៌មានដើមអម្ពិលទទួលបាន បានឲ្យដឹងថា
ដោយអនុលោមតាមវិធាន៨២(៦)នៃវិធានផ្ទៃក្នុង ធ្វើការ
សម្រេចលើសំណើរបស់សហព្រះរាជអាជ្ញា សុំផ្អាកសេចក្តីសម្រេចដោះលែងជនជាប់ចោទ អៀង
ធីរិទ្ធ ដោយគ្មានលក្ខខណ្ឌ របស់អង្គជំនុំជម្រះសាលាដំបូង។ ដោយសម្រេច ថា
ជនជាប់ចោទ អៀង ធីរិទ្ធ ដោះលែង ជាមួយលក្ខខណ្ឌបណ្តោះអាសន្ន ចំនួន៣ចំណុច
ទី១-ជនជាប់ត្រូវជូនដំណឹងដល់អង្គជំនុំជម្រះអំពីអាសយដ្ឋានដែលខ្លួនត្រូវស្នាក់នៅ
ហើយមិនត្រូវផ្លាស់ប្តូរទីលំ នៅដោយមិនមានការអនុញ្ញាតពីអង្គជំនុំជម្រះឡើយ។
ទី២-ជនជាប់ចោទត្រូវបានប្រគល់លិខិតឆ្លងដែន និងឯកសារធ្វើដំណើរពាក់ព័ន្ធដទៃទៀត ហើយមិនត្រូវ ចេញ ក្រៅព្រំប្រទល់ដែនដីនៃប្រទេសកម្ពុជាឡើយ។
ទី៣-ជនជាប់ចោទត្រូវគោរពតាមដីកាកោះដែលចេញដោយតុលាការ។
អ្នកនាំពាក្យសាលាក្តីខ្មែរក្រហម លោក នេត ភក្រ្តា
មានប្រសាសន៍ថា លោកស្រី អៀង ធីរិទ្ធ ត្រូវបានដោះលែង នៅរសៀលម៉ោង១ ថ្ងៃទី១៦
ខែកញ្ញា នេះហើយ ដោយមានលក្ខខណ្ឌ ភ្ជាប់ ជាមួយផងដែរ។ ក្នុងនោះចំណុច
សំខាន់ដែលតុលាការបានហាមឃាត់ គឺមិនត្រូវទាក់ទងជាមួយជនជាប់ចោទផ្សេងទៀតទេ
សាក្សី អ្នកជំនាញ និងជនរងគ្រោះជាដើម។
វិធានការបណ្តោះអាសន្ននេះ មានសុពលភាព
រហូតដល់អង្គជំនុំជម្រះ តុលាការចញសេចក្តីសម្រេច ទាំងស្រុង
លើបណ្តឹងសារទុក្ខរបស់សហព្រះរាជអាជ្ញា។ ការដោះលែងនេះ
ដោយសារតែក្រុមវេជ្ជបណ្ឌិត នៃសាលាក្តីខ្មែរ ក្រហម
រកឃើញថាមានជំងឺភ្លេចការចងចាំធ្ងន់ធ្ងរ។
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