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Khmer Rouge leaders found guilty of crimes against humanity, sentenced to life imprisonment

Two top leaders within the Khmer Rouge regime were found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special tribunal in Cambodia on Thursday.

Now in their 80s, Khieu Samphon, the Khmer Rouge head of state, and Nuon Chea, the regime's ideological head and former deputy secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, were charged with crimes against humanity, genocide, religious persecution, homicide and torture.

See here for judgement being delivered.

The judgement relates to the deaths of at least 1.7 million people between 1975 and 1979, due to forced exodus, execution, starvation and medical neglect, whilst the regime was in power.

The charge of genocide, over the killing of Vietnamese and Cham muslims, is being heard in a separate trial which began last month, after the court decide to split the indictments.

The court, known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), is a special UN backed tribunal based in Phnom Penh, which uses both Cambodian and international UN staff to ensure international legal standards.

It has however come under criticism, having till now only delivered one verdict since its inception 8 years ago.

The Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot, died in 1998 before he could face justice. During the current trial, which began in November 2011, one of those indicted died, whilst another, was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial due to advanced dementia.

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