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                 Khmer Rouge Tribunal Begins Closing Statements

   by VOA News

   Survivors of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge packed a courtroom in Phnom Penh on
   Wednesday to hear the start of closing statements in the trial of two
   of the group's senior ex-leaders.
   Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan face charges of genocide and crimes against
   humanity for their part in the 1970s rule of the communist Khmer Rouge,
   which is blamed for the deaths of nearly two million Cambodians.
   Both men, now in their 80s, attended Wednesday's session of the
   U.N.-backed tribunal. Closing statements are expected to run through
   the rest of October. A verdict is expected in the first half of next
   year.
   Long Mom is a villager who traveled from Kompong Speu province to
   attend the hearing, which marks a long-awaited final chapter for the
   case against the two men.
   "I want the court to sentence these two leaders to life because many
   people were killed in that regime," said Mom.
   Nuon Chea was the Khmer Rouge's chief ideologist. Khieu Samphan served
   as its head-of-state. Prosecutors allege they helped mastermind one of
   the worst atrocities of the 20th century. Both men deny the charges,
   saying they were attempting to create a socialist utopia.
   In order to speed up the prosecution of the group's aging leaders, the
   tribunal has split the case into several smaller trials.
   The current case has seen a number of setbacks, including the loss of
   two defendants. Former foreign secretary Ieng Sary died this year at
   age 87. His wife, Ieng Thirith was also found mentally unfit for trial.
   The court has only prosecuted one individual fully, former prison chief
   Kaing Kek Iev , known as Duch, who was given a life sentence for his
   role in running an infamous torture and execution center in Phnom Penh.
   Since its founding in 2006, the court has suffered allegations of
   mismanagement, kickbacks and corruption.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/khmer-rouge-tribunal-begins-closing-s
   tatements/1770554.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/khmer-rouge-tribunal-begins-closing-statements/1770554.html