Khmer Rouge leaders begin appeal hearings

Two former Khmer Rouge leaders on July 2 began appeal hearings against landmark convictions for crimes against humanity last year which saw them handed life sentences by Cambodia's UN-backed court.

"Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, 88, and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan, 83, were the first top leaders to be jailed from a regime responsible for the deaths of up to two million Cambodians from 1975-1979.
 
But their lawyers quickly appealed, accusing the court of a string of errors and the judges of failing to remain impartial due to their personal experiences under the communist regime.
 
The pair sat in court on July 2 when Nuon Chea's lawyers called upon their first witness, as 300 people watched the proceedings from the public gallery.
 
Sao Van, formerly a local Khmer Rouge chief, described a different picture of life under the communist rulers who dismantled modern society in their quest for an agrarian utopia and wiped out nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population through starvation or execution at forced labour camps.
 
He claimed that by 1977 there were sufficient food rations for everyone in his sub-district in southern Kandal province as the regime established "collective cooperation and communal dining".
 
"There was no instruction for the cadre to starve people. In fact, it was on the contrary. If any cadre failed to resolve livelihood issues in their area then they were subject to disciplinary action," the 74-year-old said.
 
Nuon Chea, wearing his trademark sunglasses, left the room during questioning to watch the hearing remotely from a holding cell, with his lawyers saying he had back pain.
 
The tribunal, known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), is...