The United Nations and Cambodia have agreed to set up an international genocide court to bring former leaders of the Khmer Rouge to justice.
An estimated 1.7 million people died at the hands of the brutal Maoist regime in the 1970s but despite evidence of their atrocities, no Khmer Rouge leader has ever been charged. Negotiations on the proposed genocide court have been taking place for more than five years. “We have agreed on a draft co-operation agreement in which the United Nations will assist Cambodia in the proceedings of a special tribunal,” Cambodian negotiator Om Yentieng told reporters. The news was warmly welcomed by the international community. “This is a great step forward. It’s real progress, it’s what we’ve hoped for,” said British Ambassador Stephen Bridges. Full Story
