Khmer Rouge leaders convicted for genocide in Cambodia
For the first time, Khmer Rouge leaders – Noun Chea and Khieu Samphan – were found guilty of genocide by a UN-backed tribunal.
They murdered, enslaved, and tortured their fellow citizens in Cambodia and Vietnam during the 1970s, but now, two top officials of the Khmer Rouge have also been found guilty of genocide.
A UN-backed tribunal has delivered an historic judgement against two of Pol Pot’s deputies Nuon Chea, and Khieu Samphan, sentencing both to life in prison.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a mid-level Khmer Rouge official before defecting, has said that no more suspects should be prosecuted. There are cases against four more officials pending, but it has taken the tribunal 12 years and $300 million to convict three people and it is unclear if the remaining cases will move forward.
Al Jazeera’s Florence Looi reports from Phnom Penh where questions are being raised about the price and breadth of justice.