Former head of state pledges to tell truth at Khmer Rouge tribunal

Jun 30, 2011, 7:10 GMT

An Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), handout photograph shows former Khmer Rouge Head of State, Khieu Samphan (R), in the courtroom during a public hearing at the (ECCC), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 30 June 2011. The initial hearing in Case 002 has started from 27 June 2011 and continue to 30 June 2011. The indicted persons in Case 002 are former Head of State Khieu Samphan, former Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Foreign Affairs Ieng Sary, former Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea Nuon Chea and former Minister of Social Affairs Ieng Thirith. EPA/MARK PETERS / ECCC HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Phnom Penh - The Khmer Rouge's former head of state pledged Thursday to be honest about what happened during its rule of Cambodia at a trial of the movement's four surviving leaders.

'I think this is a very important moment for me and for my fellow Cambodian citizens who are hungry to understand what happened between 1975 and 1979,' Khieu Samphan said, referring to the years the Khmer Rouge was in power.

'I personally have been waiting for this moment for so long,' he said, adding that although he was not 'fully knowledgeable' of events, 'I will do my best to make sure I can ascertain the truth if I can.'

Khieu Samphan's promise came on the fourth and final day of preliminary hearings before a UN-backed tribunal, which were broadcast nationwide. The trial proper would likely start this year.

In the case, the second before the tribunal, it has charged the four leaders of the ultra-Maoist movement with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. All denied the charges.

The other defendants are Nuon Chea, who is known as Brother Number Two and was deputy of the late Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot; foreign minister Ieng Sary; and his wife, the social affairs minister Ieng Thirith.

All four defendants appeared in court Thursday although Ieng Sary left early complaining of ill health.

The accused are aged 79 to 85 and suffer from various health problems. However, Khieu Samphan said he felt fortunate to be in relatively good health.

'And as long as I feel as healthy as I am today, I will contribute to the best of my capacity and, of course, to the bottom of my heart to cooperate with the work of the court,' he said.

The tribunal has heard submissions this week from defence lawyers, the prosecution and lawyers for civil parties in relation to issues such as witness lists, the applicability of national and international laws, and the tribunal's mandate.

The bench is to deliver its rulings on those subjects this year.

In its first case, the court last year sentenced the regime's security chief, Comrade Duch, to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Duch has appealed his conviction.

The tribunal estimated 1.7 million to 2.2 million people died in less than four years of rule by the Khmer Rouge, which emptied Cambodia's cities as it advocated a rural, agrarian society. The court said 800,000 of those deaths were violent with the rest attributed to overwork, starvation and illness.