Dhe special tribunal in Cambodia has upheld the verdict against a former Khmer Rouge leader, ending its work after 16 years. Khieu Samphan, now 91, was convicted in 2018 of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The regime’s former president had appealed the verdict.
Khieu Samphan is the last survivor of what were originally four “Democratic Kampuchea” leaders charged with crimes by the court. He was the face of the Khmer Rouge, with actual leader Pol Pot pulling the strings in the background. According to estimates, around 1.7 million people died under their rule from 1975 to 1979 as a result of expulsion, forced labour, hunger, torture and murder.
More procedures were not desired
In addition to Samphan, the court only convicted the former chief ideologue Nuon Chea and the former head of the S-21 torture prison, Kaing Guek Eav, known as “Duch”. They died in custody in 2019 and 2020. Former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary and his wife Ieng Thirith, formerly Minister of Social Affairs, died before a verdict was announced. Critics say the charges have not been extended to lower-ranking officials. The long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen had always made it clear that he did not want any further proceedings.
The beginnings of the UN-backed tribunal date back to 1997. It was not until 2006, however, that it started work as a so-called “hybrid” court, in which international and Cambodian judges were involved. The peculiarities had repeatedly led to problems over the years. Sometimes there was not enough money to pay the employees. A total of around 330 million dollars flowed into the tribunal, most of the money came from international donor countries.
