Ex-leaders of Khmer Rouge say sorry

It brought a rare emotional note to an extended criminal trial dominated by the detailed recounting of names and old dates.

Khieu Samphan, the head of state of the 1970s communist regime, and Nuon Chea, the group’s main ideologist, were responding to questions posed by the civil parties, who are representing the victims’ families at the trial.

The radical policies of the Khmer Rouge, who ruled Cambodia from 1975-79, are generally blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people from forced labour, starvation, medical neglect and executions.

Both men have expressed regret before for the killings, but they have denied legal responsibility and insisted they served with the best interests of their country and its people in mind. They have also not hesitated to cast blame on former colleagues and other parties.

The two men are charged with crimes against humanity, genocide, religious persecution, homicide and torture, although their current trial focuses on the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh, the capital, when the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975.

Their statements on Thursday were notable chiefly for the context – they were responding directly to the family members who had testified in emotional detail about the manner in which they lost their loved ones to Khmer Rouge brutality.

Because prosecutors must try to prove the defendants bore responsibility for the actions, much of the testimony has sought to show their knowledge through a chain of command.

Thursday’s testimony touched on the moral implications of one of the most shocking historical episodes of the 20th century.

“I feel extremely sorry for the disappearance and extremely brutal killing of your father,” Khieu Samphan told Yim Roum Doul, claiming, however, that he did not know at the time about “the atrocities committed by the military commanders and leaders”.