Phnom Penh (FN), Nov. 20 – The following statement was issued on 16 November by the Spokesman for UN Secretary General António Guterres:

The Secretary General takes note of the 16 November ’s delivery by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia of the trial judgement in the case 002/02 against Mr. Nuon Chea, former Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, and Mr. Khieu Samphan, former Head of State of Democratic Kampuchea.

The judgement demonstrates that perpetrators of the most heinous crimes can be held accountable, even decades after those crimes were committed. The Secretary General’s thoughts are with the victims of genocide, crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions for which the accused have both been found guilty.

The Secretary General deeply appreciates the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in the important work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia to pursue justice and accountability in Cambodia. The Secretary General calls on Member States to continue to provide support to it.

It is worth noting that on 16 November 2018, Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia convicted former senior Khmer Rouge leaders NUON Chea and KHIEU Samphan of genocide, crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The crimes were committed at various locations throughout Cambodia during the Democratic Kampuchea period from 17 April 1975 to 6 January 1979.
=FRESH NEWS