35 years after the end of the communist Khmer Rouge regime, the verdicts have been delivered on the two highest ranking representatives of the regime still alive. In Cambodia, the former head of state and Pol Pot’s deputy have been sentenced to life in prison.
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The Khmer Rouge tribunal in Phnom Penh found Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan guilty of crimes against humanity and for this and other crimes sentenced them to life in prison. They were charged with the forced evacuation of the capital and the murder of soldiers of the overthrown Lon Nol regime. The court promised victims of the crimes concrete reparations projects, including the creation of a national holiday.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia were set up under an agreement between the United Nations and the Cambodian government, which came into force in 2005, to call to account in court those responsible for the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.
Christoph Strässer, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, welcomed the verdict. "The verdict is an important signal for the victims of the Khmer Rouge terror. The impunity and lawlessness under which they suffered have been confronted by the power of the law and the rule of law. The verdict is also an encouragement, a sign that it is worthwhile working together to combat impunity," he said.
Germany is also providing financial support for the investigation of the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge. Since 2005, more than 17 million euros have been contributed to victims’ associations and the UN-backed tribunal.
From 1975 to 1979 Pol Pot, "Brother Number 1", and his communist elite ruled over Democratic Kampuchea. During this short reign at least 1.6 million people, one quarter of the entire population, were killed in Cambodia through forced labour, starvation, disease, torture and executions.
A crucial role was played by both "Brother Number 2" Nuon Chea, Pol Pot’s deputy, and by Khieu Samphan, "Brother Number 4" and former head of state.
Originally four surviving members of the regime faced charges in Case 002: alongside the two now sentenced stood former foreign minister Ieng Sary and former social affairs minister Ieng Thirith. Ieng Sary died of heart failure in March 2013. Ieng Thirith was ruled unfit to stand trial and released from prison. Pol Pot himself died in 1998.
Last week the second trial of the two defendants began. Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are charged with genocide, rapes, murder through "cleansing" among their own ranks and murder within the scope of the major construction projects of the communist regime. Both deny all charges.
The priority areas of German-Cambodian development cooperation are rural development and the health sector. Projects relating to the cross-cutting issues good governance, human rights and democracy are being implemented (women’s rights, decentralisation and administrative reform and the establishment of the country’s supreme audit institute).
For the two-year period 2013-2014 the German government has pledged a total of around 47 million euros. In addition, Germany has been actively involved in Cambodia since 1997 providing about one million euros a year in the field of humanitarian landmine clearance. Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance.