A war crimes tribunal sentenced the former Khmer Rouge chief jailer and executioner to 35 years in prison Monday for overseeing the deaths of thousands of people during a genocidal rule that devastated a generation of Cambodians.
Victims and their relatives who wanted a life sentence for the 67-year-old Kaing Guek Eav – also known as Comrade Duch – burst into tears after learning that he could face just 19 years behind bars after taking into account time already served and other factors. The sentence effectively means he could one day walk free.
"I can't accept this," said Saodi Ouch, 46. She was weeping so hard she could hardly talk. "My family died ... my older sister, my older brother. I'm the only one left."
Comrade Duch
United Nations supported Cambodia Tribunal determined the verdict for a former Khmer Rouge officer involved in a genocide during the 1970′s. Kaing Guek Eav (67 years old), or 'Comrade Duch' is the first major, former Khmer Rouge leader found to be guilty of "crimes against humanity". Duch was charged with inhumane acts like mass torture and murder. The trial sentenced Duch to 35 years in prison, however Duch was given a detention credit of 5 years. The 30 years left in prison was subtracted by the 11 years he has already served in prison from 1999 to 2010 which totals up to 19 years, the required amount of time Ieu must spend time in jail.The Killing Fields were a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Vietnam War.
At least 200,000 people were executed by the Khmer Rouge[1]. Analysis of 309 mass grave sites by the DC-Cam Mapping Program and Yale University indicate at least 1,386,734 victims.[2][3] Estimates of the total number of deaths resulting from Khmer Rouge policies, including disease and starvation, range from 1.4 to 2.2 million out of a population of around 7 million.[4] In 1979, communist Vietnam invaded Democratic Kampuchea and toppled the Khmer Rouge regime.
Journalists watch senior Khmer Rouge regime member Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, on a television screen as a live feed is transmitted during the court session to announce his verdict at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on the outskirts of Phnom Penh July 26 2010. The U.N.-backed tribunal sentenced the former Khmer Rouge cadre to 35 years in prison on Monday for his role in the deaths of at least 14,000 people as the Cambodian regime's chief torturer three decades ago. Duch was found guilty of murder and torture, and crimes against humanity as chief of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison.
Uetta, from Tokyo, puts her hands together in respect for some of the 9,000 victims who were exhumed from the Choeung Ek extermination camp, as she leaves a memorial stupa inside the camp, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh February 17, 2009.
Courtesy : Wikipedia, REUTERS,inewp.com/
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