In Cambodia, the trial for Kaing Guk Eav, a.k.a. Duch, has begun. Duch was the commander of the Tuol Sleng prison where 14,000 people lost their lives between 1975 and 1979. Duch is the first of the major Khmer Rouge officials to be tried for crimes against humanity. Around 1.7 million people were killed during that four-year period. At Tuol Sleng people were not innocent, but presumed guilty and were tortured until their captors received the information they wanted or decided to kill them. Ironically, just as the trial is set to get underway, the lawyers for the defense are attempting to stall the trial in the name of human rights abuses to the accused. There a few survivors who added a civil lawsuit into the mix, and one of them missed the deadline by a couple days. The defense claims that Duch is a man, and although he has taken responsibility for his actions, deserves a fair trial.
On November 4, a group of rebel soldiers from the army of former General Laurent Nkunda, massacred around 150 people in Kiwanja, Democratic Republic of Congo. The soldiers killed any young man or boy left in the town after they had ordered an evacuation using brutal, execution-style methods. Only now has the full story of the events come to light. Nkunda’s Lieutenant, Jean Bosco Ntaganda, led the soldiers. And despite the fact that there are U.N. Peacekeepers in close proximity, the citizens received no help. The Peacekeepers do have a mandate to protect the citizens from harm. According to Lt. Col. Brar, the leader of the peacekeepers, the force was overwhelmed, and could not reach the location. He said that they were faced with language barriers, and weapons that could pierce the armor of their vehicles making it too dangerous to proceed. According to the article, the peacekeepers, for various reasons, had no idea the massacre had occurred until it was all over.
Elsewhere, in Sudan, the Sudanese government and the main rebel opposition to the government have agreed to hold peace talks in a huge step towards peace in this war-torn country. The group, the Justice and Equality Movement, signed an accord in hopes of reaching a final agreement within three months. The two sides also agreed to allow the flow of humanitarian aid, to stop harassing displaced citizens, and to exchange prisoners. Although the government has agreed to talks, the JEM still does not believe that they are serious about ending the violence. The government has continued to send troops into the Darfur region of the country. The last time there were peace negotiations held were in 2006 and the JEM refused to cooperate, but now it seems they wish to establish themselves a credible negotiators.
Overall, it has been a progressive week for curbing human rights abuse. It looks as if there is hope on the horizon for the ongoing genocide in Sudan, and the first of five trials of the crazed Khmer Rouge officials is under way. However, abuse elsewhere continues to run rampant, specifically in Africa. The incident in DRC is somewhat reminiscent of the situation in Rwanda in 1994, where the U.N. Peacekeepers were hugely outnumbered and basically were forced to stand by while massacres took place. International statutes bind the forces from physically intervening during certain events.
I’m also shocked that the trials of the officials of the Khmer Rouge have just begun, twenty years after the violence ended. It angers me that it has taken so long for the people responsible for these atrocities have escaped punishment for so long. What was the delay? However, it’s better late than never. I also agree with the defense attorney. While I feel for the survivor, the law must be adhered to. It is important to the validity of the trial for the proper procedure to be followed.
The situation in Sudan has taken a positive turn. The fact that the main rebel group is seeking peace talks with the government is a great sign. Regardless of who is responsible for the conflict, each side needs to take steps towards ending the violence. However, there are many different factions of rebels that operate in the Darfur region and it is critical for them to be involved in the talks for a final peace to be reached. One group won’t do the trick.
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