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70 柬埔寨将红色高棉领导人送上法庭
Cambodia Moving To Put Khmer Rouge Leaders On Trial
Stephanie Mann
Washington
26 Jun 2001 23:04 UTC
Cambodia is moving slowly toward putting on 1)trial the Khmer Rouge leaders believed 2)responsible for genocide in the 1970's. Prime Minister Hun Sen's cabinet has approved a law allowing such a tribunal to be established, and he says final approval could come by August. But outside observers expect the process will be delayed much longer before a tribunal is actually convened.
About two million people were killed when the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, but so far no one has been held 3)accountable. There is 4)widespread concern the aging Khmer Rouge leaders will die before they appear in court.
The former top leader, Pol Pot, escaped being brought to 5)justice when he died in 1998. Two Khmer Rouge leaders are in detention, Ta Mok and Kang Kek Ieu, known as Duk. Several others are living free within Cambodia.
Efforts to 6)convene a 7)genocide tribunal have been underway for nearly three years with very little result. After lengthy negotiations, the United Nations and the Cambodian government last July agreed on the broad outlines for a 8)tribunal composed of Cambodian and foreign judges.
The government in Phnom Penh then took six months to 9)draft a law to submit to the National Assembly. The assembly approved the draft law, but Prime Minister Hun Sen withdrew it in February because of concerns that it 10)violated the 1993 constitution, which does not allow for the death 11)penalty.
Last week, the Council of Ministers, Hun Sen's cabinet, approved a revised version of the law, 12)stipulating the maximum penalty for former Khmer Rouge leaders would be life 13)imprisonment.
Cambodia specialist Craig Etcheson says the delay in approving a Cambodian law to hold the trials reflects some government 14)reluctance in establishing a tribunal. "The Prime minister likes to blame the United Nations for the delays, but the mere fact that it required the Council of Ministers 4 1/2 months to construct and pass one sentence really puts the lie to those complaints," he said. "Their actions speak louder than their words in terms of their 15)enthusiasm for moving forward quickly with the tribunal."
Now, the draft law will be reconsidered by the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Constitutional Council and then sent to King Sihanouk for his approval. Primer Minister Hun Sen says that could happen by August. Mr. Etcheson, an advisor to the Documentation Center of Cambodia that collects evidence on former Khmer Rouge 16)atrocities, says it is in Hun Sen's interest to get on with the tribunal quickly.
But the director of the University of Michigan Law School's Program for Cambodian Law, Peter Hammer believes Hun Sen wants to keep 17)stalling the process. "My best take on why nothing has happened is that this is the last thing that the international community cares about in Cambodia," he said. "And Hun Sen realizes that once this issue goes away, Cambodia becomes as invisible now as it was in the 1960's and 1970's that led to the Khmer Rouge rise, and that he is going to milk this issue for all it is worth. Realizing that once this is gone, he has absolutely no 18)chips to play on the international scene."
Mr. Etcheson disagrees, saying he believes Hun Sen is personally 19)committed to making the tribunal happen. But he expects more delays when the United Nations and the Cambodian government try to iron out details of the tribunal. "Some of the most important of these have to do with amnesty for Khmer Rouge leaders, whether or not that could be sought or given, with the powers of 20)appointment for international personnel and the details of how that works, and with, very critically, the funding issue," he said. "Even if the United Nations and the Cambodian government were to come to final agreement on the form of a tribunal, then a trust fund has to be established at the United Nations to pay for this and it has to be funded through voluntary contributions."
Cambodian law specialist Neil Katyal, of the Georgetown University Law School, says a genocide tribunal will raise difficult questions for the Cambodian people. "This is going to be a trial that will really 21)polarize the country and open up fresh new wounds," he said. "And it is the kind of thing that should be done slowly, carefully, and with consideration to all of these dangerous 22)factors that could 23)accompany a trial. But that does not mean there should not be a trial of course. And delay by the Cambodian government over and over again is beginning to try people's patience, considering that this is one of the largest genocides in the history of the planet."
Mr. Etcheson and Mr. Hammer agree the Cambodian people want to see the Khmer Rouge leaders brought to justice, and many do not trust their judicial system to handle such a 24)controversial trial. But Mr. Hammer says most Cambodians are more concerned with struggling for their future, and he says holding an international genocide trial at this time may be 25)decades too late.
(1) trial[5traIEl]n.试验, 考验, 审讯, 审判
(2) responsible[rI5spRnsIb(E)l]adj.有责任的,可依赖的, 负责的
(3) accountable[E5kaJntEb(E)l]adj.应负责的, 有责任的
(4) widespread[5waIdspred, -5spred]adj.分布广泛的, 普遍的
(5) justice[5dVQstIs]n.正义, 公平,司法, 审判
(6) convene[kEn5vi:n]v.召集, 集合
(7) genocide[5dVenEsaId]n.有计划的灭种和屠杀
(8) tribunal[traI5bju:n(E)l]n.法官席, 审判员席, (特等)法庭
(9) draft[drB:ft; (?@) drAft]n.草稿, 草案vt.起草, 设计v.草拟
(10) violate[5vaIEleIt]vt.违犯, 亵渎(圣物), 妨碍, 强暴
(11) penalty[5penEltI]n.处罚, 罚款
(12) stipulate[5stIpjJleIt]v.规定, 保证
(13) imprisonment[Im`prIzEnmEnt]n.关押
(14) reluctance[rI5lQktEns]n.不愿, 勉强
(15) enthusiasm for热爱..., 热心于
(16) atrocity[E5trRsItI]n.残暴, 暴行, 凶恶
(17) stall[stC:l]n.货摊v.(使)停转, (使)停止, 迟延
(18) chip[tFIp]n.筹码
(19) commit[kE5mIt]vt.犯(错误), 干(坏事), 把...交托给, 提交
(20) appointment[E5pCIntmEnt]n.约会, 指定
(21) polarize[5pEJlEraIz]v.(使)偏振, (使)极化, (使)两极分化
(22) factor[5fAktE(r)]n.因素, 要素, 因数, 代理人
(23) accompany[E5kQmpEnI]vt.陪伴, 伴奏
(24) controversial[kRntrE5v:F(E)l]adj.争论的, 争议的
(25) decade[5dekeId]n.十年, 十
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