| English.news.cn 2013-06-07 11:27:06 |
   
 
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PHNOM PENH, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The National Assembly of Cambodia on
Friday unanimously adopted the Law on the Denial of Crimes Committed
during the Period of the Democratic Kampuchea, or Khmer Rouge regime,
from 1975-1979.
"Under the law, individuals who refuse to acknowledge, diminish, deny, or challenge the existence of crimes or glorify crimes committed during the regime will be jailed from six months to two years and fined between 250 U.S. dollars and 1,000 U.S. dollars," said Pen Panha, chairman of the National Assembly's commission on legislation and justice.
Cheam Yeap, the ruling Cambodian People's Party's senior lawmaker, said the denial of the crimes during the Khmer Rouge regime was a serious insult to the souls of people who lost lives during the regime and hurt the families of the victims.
"The law will not affect the freedom of expression because not Cambodia alone that has this law, but 17 countries around the world," he said.
All 86 participating lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian People' s Party and its coalition Funcinpec Party unanimously approved the law by raising hands.
Twenty-eight former opposition lawmakers -- 25 of the Sam Rainsy Party and three of the Human Right Party -- were not invited for the session because they quit their parties to join the newly formed Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in order to run in the July's election.
Prime Minister Hun Sen called for the law on Monday last week after Kem Sokha, vice president of the main opposition CNRP, allegedly claimed that the Khmer Rouge regime's notorious Tuol Sleng prison was an artificial place.
"If this place (Tuol Sleng prison) was truly Khmer Rouge, they would have demolished it before they left, not kept it to show everyone," Kem Sokha said in a short audio recording recently circulated by the government.
"If the Khmer Rouge killed a lot of people, they would not be stupid to keep it to show to everyone, they would destroy it to eliminate evidence. I believe that it was just staged," he said at his party's public forum.
Phnom Penh's former Tuol Sleng prison was the main torture center during the regime, and around 14,000 people were killed at the center.
In February last year, the Supreme Court Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia sentenced ex- chief of Tuol Sleng prison Kaing Guek Eav to life in prison for overseeing the deaths.
Representatives of survivors from the Democratic Kampuchea announced Tuesday to hold a mass protest on Sunday to demand Kem Sokha to apologize for his insulting remarks.
"Some 20,000 survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime will gather at Cambodian capital's Freedom Park on June 9 to protest against Kem Sokha for his denial of Khmer Rouge crimes," Chhum Mey, president of the Victims Association of Democratic Kampuchea and one of the survivors from the Tuol Sleng prison, said at a press briefing. "About 2,000 of them will march from the Freedom Park to the headquarters of the CNRP."
He said Kem Sokha's remarks have insulted people who lost lives at the prison and elsewhere in the country during the Khmer Rouge regime, in which an estimated 2 million people had died of starvation, exhaustion, lack of medical care or execution.
CNRP's spokesman Yim Sovann said Tuesday that it was their rights to stage a protest, but Kem Sokha would not apologize upon their demand because he had never denied the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime or at Tuol Sleng prison.
"Kem Sokha did not say those words; his remarks were fabricated in order to create turmoil targeting the opposition leader ahead of July's general election," he told Xinhua over telephone.
"Under the law, individuals who refuse to acknowledge, diminish, deny, or challenge the existence of crimes or glorify crimes committed during the regime will be jailed from six months to two years and fined between 250 U.S. dollars and 1,000 U.S. dollars," said Pen Panha, chairman of the National Assembly's commission on legislation and justice.
Cheam Yeap, the ruling Cambodian People's Party's senior lawmaker, said the denial of the crimes during the Khmer Rouge regime was a serious insult to the souls of people who lost lives during the regime and hurt the families of the victims.
"The law will not affect the freedom of expression because not Cambodia alone that has this law, but 17 countries around the world," he said.
All 86 participating lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian People' s Party and its coalition Funcinpec Party unanimously approved the law by raising hands.
Twenty-eight former opposition lawmakers -- 25 of the Sam Rainsy Party and three of the Human Right Party -- were not invited for the session because they quit their parties to join the newly formed Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in order to run in the July's election.
Prime Minister Hun Sen called for the law on Monday last week after Kem Sokha, vice president of the main opposition CNRP, allegedly claimed that the Khmer Rouge regime's notorious Tuol Sleng prison was an artificial place.
"If this place (Tuol Sleng prison) was truly Khmer Rouge, they would have demolished it before they left, not kept it to show everyone," Kem Sokha said in a short audio recording recently circulated by the government.
"If the Khmer Rouge killed a lot of people, they would not be stupid to keep it to show to everyone, they would destroy it to eliminate evidence. I believe that it was just staged," he said at his party's public forum.
Phnom Penh's former Tuol Sleng prison was the main torture center during the regime, and around 14,000 people were killed at the center.
In February last year, the Supreme Court Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia sentenced ex- chief of Tuol Sleng prison Kaing Guek Eav to life in prison for overseeing the deaths.
Representatives of survivors from the Democratic Kampuchea announced Tuesday to hold a mass protest on Sunday to demand Kem Sokha to apologize for his insulting remarks.
"Some 20,000 survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime will gather at Cambodian capital's Freedom Park on June 9 to protest against Kem Sokha for his denial of Khmer Rouge crimes," Chhum Mey, president of the Victims Association of Democratic Kampuchea and one of the survivors from the Tuol Sleng prison, said at a press briefing. "About 2,000 of them will march from the Freedom Park to the headquarters of the CNRP."
He said Kem Sokha's remarks have insulted people who lost lives at the prison and elsewhere in the country during the Khmer Rouge regime, in which an estimated 2 million people had died of starvation, exhaustion, lack of medical care or execution.
CNRP's spokesman Yim Sovann said Tuesday that it was their rights to stage a protest, but Kem Sokha would not apologize upon their demand because he had never denied the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime or at Tuol Sleng prison.
"Kem Sokha did not say those words; his remarks were fabricated in order to create turmoil targeting the opposition leader ahead of July's general election," he told Xinhua over telephone.
Editor:
Mengjie
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