Duch continues testimony at the ECCC: Former S-21 prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, continued his testimony for Case 002/02 against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, which saw heated questioning from the defence teams of both parties. Anta Guisse, lawyer for Samphan, and Victor Koppe, co-lawyer for Chea, questioned Duch about discrepancies between his recent testimony and that which he gave at his own trial for crimes against humanity in 2012. In addition, both lawyers took aim at Duch’s traditionally longwinded and often off-topic responses to questioning.
Mr Guek Eav struggled to clarify conflicting statements made by himself stating that ‘I am confused on the date’ and ‘I cannot recall it well’ in response to questioning by Ms Guisse in relation to killing orders supposedly made by Chea. The lawyer also questioned Duch’s claim that he met with Samphan and Khmer Rouge co-founded leng Sary, which he had omitted from his previous testimonies. Mr Koppe pointed to the unreliability of his testimony due to his repeated statements that he was not involved in the more unsavoury aspects of the prison but instead spent his time reading prisoners’ confessions. Countering this line of questioning Duch stated, in third person, that the ‘chief of S-21 knew everything’. Koppe was also criticised by Duch and the court president about his confusing questions.
Questioning also touched on the rumoured coup d’état against Pol Pot. Duch acknowledged that the Khmer Rouge faced a legitimate threat from a Vietnamese-backed internal coup. Duch further testified about his fear for his life during the final days of the detention centre after witnessing the ‘smash[ing]’ of mid-ranking cadres, and his belief that he would have been beheaded if he had leaked details of the atrocities committed during the detention camp. (Khmer Times, Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia Daily, Cambodia Daily, Khmer Times)
Post by: Firouzeh Mitchell
The post 23 June 2016 – NEWS ABOUT THE COURTS – Duch testimony at ECCC appeared first on ICL Media Review.