By Pei Hu
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Som Southevy, a 68 year old trans-gender woman, has come forth to tell her story of sexual abuse she suffered under the Khmer Rouge regime.
The Khmer Rouge was a communist regime that came to power in Cambodia from 1975-1979. Led by Pol Pot, the regime conducted mass killings and tortures where about two million lives were lost. Even though there are well documented accounts of brutality in the forms of torture, murder, and execution during the regime, victims are generally silent about sexual abuse because it has not been culturally accepted for women to report rape.
Southevy is the first to file a sexual abuse complaint in the ongoing Khmer Rouge tribunal. Under the Khmer Rouge regime, Southevy told the press that she was incarcerated for acting like a woman. Southevy was forced to wear men’s clothing and cut her hair. During detention, she was sexually assaulted and repeatedly raped by Khmer Rouge officials.
Later, Southevy was forced to marry a woman. Forced marriages were common during the regime.
Southevy recalls that she was not the only trans-gender woman accused of “moral crimes”. Many trans-gender victims did not survive the regime.
Southevy has applied to be a civil party during the tribunals. Civil parties can access information and actively participate during the trials. Tribunal officers hope that Southevy’s complaint will inspire others to come forward with their stories.
In August, former prison chief of the Khmer Rouge regime, Kaing Guek Eav a.k.a Duch, is on trial for charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Duch was charged in July 2007. He is the prison chief to the infamous facility known as S-21 or Tuol Sleng, where about 15,000 prisoners were kept and subject to torture. Those who survived the systematic torture were sent for execution in the “killing fields”.
Duch is the first of five high ranking officials to stand trial. The other key officials of the Khmer Rouge are: Khmer Rouge’s second-in-command Nuon Chea, charged in September 2007 with war crimes and crimes against humanity; Khmer Rouge’s Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, charged in November 2007 with war crimes and crimes against humanity; Khmer Rouge’s Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith, charged in November 2007 with crimes against humanity; and Khmer Rouge’s Head of State Khieu Samphan, arrested in November 2007, yet to be charged.
The tribunal has been criticized for being slow, and there have been corruption allegations within the tribunal that has stalled the process of justice.
However, the formal indictment of Duch is a significant demonstration of progress in the Khmer Rouge tribunal. Moreover, the highly publicized judicial proceedings of the Khmer Rouge officials are not only significant to people like Southevy but also to human rights tribunals around the world.
For more information, please see:
IPS – Khmer Rouge Trials Bare Sexual Abuse – 8 September 2008
BBC – Khmer Rouge’s Duch set for trial – 12 August 2008
ECCC – The Court Report August 2008 – 20 August 2008
