The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on Friday issued an indictment, accusing Nuon Chea, former second top leader of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime, of ordering murder and torture of Cambodian civilians.
Nuon Chea "planned, instigated, ordered, directed or otherwise aided and abetted in the commission" of crimes that include " murder, torture, imprisonment, persecution, extermination, deportation, forcible transfer, enslavement and other inhumane acts," said the indictment.
However, "Nuon Chea disputed the crimes with which he is charged, indicating that he would be ashamed to have committed such crimes," said a detention order from ECCC.
He also said that he was never in a position to order any of these deaths that occurred under the DK rule, it added.
In related development, Nuon Chea has chosen Cambodian private attorney Son Arun as the lawyer to defend him.
"There are many things for me to do and many documents for me to research. This is a heavy burden, but I am happy to take up the job," the lawyer told reporters, adding that he met with Nuon Chea for the first time on Thursday.
Nuon Chea was arrested and officially questioned on Wednesday, after police brought him by helicopter from his home in Pailin city near the border with Thailand to ECCC at Phnom Penh.
According to a statement issued by the co-investigating judges on late Wednesday, they charged Nuon Chea for crimes against humanity and war crimes and placed him in provisional detention.
Nuon Chea was born in 1927 in Battambang province and graduated with law degree from the Thamarsat University in Thailand.
He was former president of the Cambodian National Assembly from 1976 to 1979 and acting prime minister from September to October, 1976.
ECCC, the 56 million U.S. dollars of tribunal installed by the United Nations and the Cambodian government, charged chief DK inquisitor Duch, or Kaing Guek Eav, with crimes against humanity in July, the first formal indictment of top leaders of the regime.
The DK regime from 1975 to 1979 was widely held responsible for the death of over 1.7 million people over starvation, over working, torture and lack of medicine.
Source: Xinhua
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