Word: khmer
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DIED. Ta Mok, 80, last chief of the Khmer Rouge, nicknamed "the Butcher" for his role in the death of nearly 2 million Cambodians during the communist group's rule in the late 1970s; in Phnom Penh. The only Khmer Rouge leader who refused to strike a deal to defect or surrender to the government, Ta Mok was facing trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity when he died...
...There also could be political obstacles. The question of who can be called as a witness?and possibly give embarrassing testimony about former Khmer Rouge members still in government?is acutely sensitive. Officials have also said that only a handful of the most senior Khmer Rouge leaders would stand trial. But under the tribunal's laws, says Petit, the prosecution has a mandate to target "senior leaders and those most responsible"?and he's putting the emphasis on those most responsible. "The idea of these tribunals is that ... if you do certain things you will be held accountable," he says...
...swearing-in on July 3 of 25 genocide-tribunal judges and prosecutors was a historic step toward justice for the estimated 1.7 million Cambodians killed under the Khmer Rouge. But the real work starts this week, when U.N. co-prosecutor Robert Petit begins building a case against those responsible for the atrocities committed during the group's 1975-79 reign...
...century ago. Of all the war crimes he has dealt with, "this is the longest elapsed time between the acts and accountability," says Petit. "It presents issues with the state of memory and the state of documents ... There is the issue of the age of the perpetrators as well." Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998; his surviving lieutenants, in their 70s and 80s, may not live to be sentenced...
...There also could be political obstacles. The question of who can be called as a witness?and possibly give embarrassing testimony about former Khmer Rouge members still in government?is acutely sensitive. Officials have also said that only a handful of the most senior Khmer Rouge leaders would stand trial. But under the tribunal's laws, says Petit, the prosecution has a mandate to target "senior leaders and those most responsible"?and he's putting the emphasis on those most responsible. "The idea of these tribunals is that ... if you do certain things you will be held accountable," he says...