Tribunal:
The Downfall:
Pol Pot was the leader of the Khmer Rouge throughout the communist regime for nearly three decades. He was the man deemed responsible for the almost 2 million deaths that occurred in Cambodia during his reign of terror. His reign has genuinely ended.
Pol Pot has been denounced by his own movement. He was not arrested because of the Cambodian genocide, but for turning on his own comrades in an attempted purge in June of 1997. The original leaders of the Khmer Rouge have been largely replaced with younger ones. This helped create a fractured movement. Many of these parties were allied with the main stream political parties. The largest break came in July 1996 when the forces in western Cambodia broke with Pol Pots northern forces. This split was headed by Pol Pots brother-in-law, Ieng Sary. The Khmer Rouge finalized their alliance with the leader of the FUNCINPEC party on July 4 1997. Pol Pot opposed these negotiations.
Pol Pot believed himself leader of the communist party and as a result, ruled the party in a dictatorship fashion. This angered many of the other Khmer Rouge leaders and led to dissatisfaction. Increasingly isolated, Pol Pot, in an attempt to stop the peace movement, ordered the assassination of defense minister Son Sen and 14 members of his family. Pol Pot also ordered the purge of Ta Mok and other top Khmer Rouge leaders.
The killing of Son Sen led to the final down fall of Pol Pot. People rallied behind Ta Mok and arrested Pol Pot. A people's tribunal was staged in the Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng.
The Motives:
There were motives behind the decision to bring Pol Pot to trial. The Khmer Rouge had no other way to return to power in Cambodia but to convict its own leader. The Khmer Rouge wanted to distance themselves from Pol Pot in order to attract international support for their struggle to unseat Hun Sen. Im Nguon , a former comrade of Pol Pots stated, of Pol Pot, "I told him that we want to prove to the world that we no longer want to associate ourselves with him".
Pol Pot on Trial:
Nate Thayer was the only western reporter allowed into this mock trial staged by the Khmer Rouge. He reported that there were many people present rallying against Pol Pot. Pol Pot has dramatically affected the lives of millions in Cambodia and millions want to see justice done.
Pol Pot stated in an interview that he was not sorry for the genocidal regime. Allthough, he admitted that it "made mistakes". He stated to reporter Nate Thayer "My conscience is clear".
Pol Pots crimes were read a loud and they were as follows: 1) The murder of Son Sen; 2) the attempted murder and "detention" of Ta Mok and Nuon Chea; 3) "destroying the policy of national reconciliation".
Pol Pot and his clique were found guilty of "betraying the people, armed forces and the Khmer Rouge cadre". He was sentenced to life imprisonment. The tribunal ruled out turning him over to international courts where he could have faced charges of crimes against humanity.
The Hague:
The Cambodian government had sent a letter to the UN requesting an international trial for Pol Pot. Hun Sen stated strongly that he wanted to send Pol Pot to international court, he stated "this is an international problem".
The New York Times reported that President Clinton had ordered plans for the arrest and trial of Pol Pot before the international tribunal in the Hague. The Khmer Rouge confirmed on April 11 1998 that Pol Pot had consented to stand trial. On April 15 1998, Pol Pot died. He was therefore never brought to trial to be tried for the ferocious crimes he committed against the Cambodian people.
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Old Pol Pot
Hun Sen: opponent of Sihanouk, Rannaridh,and Pol Pot
Bones at Toul Sleng
More Bones at Toul Sleng