Villagers in Kandal Province React to Screening of Duch Judgment

By Michael Saliba, J.D., and Tyler Nims, J.D., Center for International
Human Rights, Northwestern University School of Law

Villagers watch Judge Nil Nonn read Duch Judgment

As news of the judgment against Kaing Guek Eav (alias Duch) began to sink
into the minds of the Cambodian people, villagers in the Kandal province who
were unable to watch the verdict live gathered at the local pagoda to for a
replay of the judgment. The screening was hosted by the Documentation Center
of Cambodia (DC-Cam) as part of an extensive outreach program that included
live screenings and replays of the reading of the judgment in pagodas, local
schools, and cafes in seven Cambodian provinces. These screenings are only
the latest in a long series of outreach efforts organized by DC-Cam to
increase awareness of the history and atrocities of the Democratic Kampuchea
regime across the country.

Local boys observe the BBC with curiosity

The replay screening attended by CTM at Koh Veng Keo Andret in the Koh Thom
district drew a large crowd of mostly older Cambodians, including the
village chief and Him Huy, a resident of the local commune and former Khmer
Rouge guard at the Toul Sleng prison (S-21). Also in attendance was a camera
crew from the BBC. Yet the key teenage demographic was unfortunately unable
to watch the judgment live on TV or at DC-Cam screening due to a
three-day-long high school exam. Many consider the overlap a serious
oversight on the part of the ECCC.

After DC-Cam representatives explained the workings of the tribunal, the
villagers sat quietly in front of a large screen in the middle of the pagoda
and watched intently as the president of the trial chamber, Judge Nil Nonn,
summarized Duch's crimes and pronounced his fate. In the background, candles
burned at an altar. After the viewing, a villager arose from the crowd and
announced that his father was one of the many victims who perished at S-21.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the verdict, which he thought should
have been the maximum sentence of life in prison, stressing that even the
maximum sentence could not bring his father back and take away the pain that
he still endures today. Other villagers echoed his sentiments.

Next, Him Huy rose to address his former neighbors. As one-time chief of the
guards at Tuol Sleng, Huy bears a measure of responsibility for the deaths
of some S-21 and Choeung Ek victims. He told the villagers the story of his
involvement with the Khmer Rouge and interactions with Duch. Huy, who
testified against Duch at the ECCC, agreed that Duch should have received a
longer sentence.

Former S-21 guard Him Huy (left) addresses his community

In the early afternoon, after most of the villagers had filed out of the
pagoda, one elderly man stayed behind to recount for DC-Cam and CTM the
story of his forced labor at a nearby Khmer Rouge work camp. In an animated
and poignant interview, he spoke of the hardship he suffered and the deaths
of several siblings from starvation and overwork.

Northwestern University School of Law Center for International Human
Rights and Documentation Center of Cambodia
Independently Searching for the Truth since 1997.
MEMORY & JUSTICE

“...a society cannot know itself if it does not have an accurate memory of its own history.”

Youk Chhang, Director
Documentation Center of Cambodia
66 Sihanouk Blvd.,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia