A former leader of the Khmer Rouge has been released from prosecution, after she was found to be mentally unfit to stand trial.
80-year-old Ieng Thirith who reportedly suffers from Alzheimer's disease, has been released with "provisional conditions" by Cambodia's war crimes tribunal, as the court considers an appeal from prosecutors.
Youk Chhang, a leading Khmer Rouge researcher and director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia said,
"It is difficult for victims and indeed, all Cambodians, to accept the especially vigorous enforcement of Ieng Thirith's rights taking place at the [tribunal],"
He stated the decision to release Thirith was "a wake-up call" to the court saying,
"It has been taking too long to deliver justice to millions of victims in Cambodia."
He then went on to note that while Thirith was receiving "world class health care" when part of the Khmer Rouge, she was "personally and directly involved in denying Cambodians even the most basic health care during the regime's years in power."
See our earlier post:
Former leader of Khmer Rouge set to be released (13 September 2012)
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