The Khmer Rouge regime which ruled over Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 is responsible for the deaths of approximately 1 to 2 million people, which represents 20% of the total population in 1975. (Kiernan, 2002). Besides the genocide of its own population, the government of Democratic Kampuchea is also to be held responsible for the enslavement of the rest of the country’s inhabitants. During the 4 years of Khmer Rouge governance, personal liberties were suppressed, families were broken up and a totalitarian communist system was implemented. The regime wanted to create a fully agrarian society based on extremist Marxist views. But doing so led to unprecedented levels of human misery amongst the Cambodian population. The direct effects…show more content… It is the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) which is in charge of the trials of the ex-leaders. This tribunal was established in 2006, more than 3 decades after the fall of the regime. It was a major step towards public redemption and a unique opportunity for the healing process happening in Cambodia. However Pol Pot who was the leader of the Khmer Rouge died on the 18th of April 1998 never faced justice for the crime he has committed. And similarly many incriminated ex-leader never faced the trial they deserved because of their old age or their death. This created a controversy about the trial being created and conducted too long after the fall of the regime. But it also raised another question, will this trial do nothing more than opening old injuries and bring back painful memories? According the Menzel the trial will have four good results: provide justice to the victims with the idea that no crime should remain unpunished. The second is reconciliation for Cambodian society in order to find peace, but a court trial is strong signal that most people want to make the leaders pay for their crimes. Third the restoration of historical truth, and that even if there is already a large amount of books and research on the topic. It created an “official truth” in which the genocide of the Cambodian population was officially recognized. Finally, since the trial is…show more content… It will take many years before the generation that was scarred by the horror of the Khmer Rouges will disappear since those people have been permanently affected by it. But even so, the trauma does not only reside in the memories of the victims, but it now deeply rooted in Cambodian society as well. The Children of the generation that experienced Democratic Kampuchea will also be marked by the horrors their parents experienced trough their education. Even if the demographic hole in society will gradually disappear as time moves on and so will the educational hole in society created by 4 years of absolute destruction. Post-traumatic stress disorders will also gradually lessen if is the following generations might also experience similar problems. Yet the distrust that is now part of Cambodian society will not vanish in the blink of an eye, and effort needs to be put into restoring the trust among people and between the population and its government. The still ongoing trials of Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea make it even more difficult the appease society, since the accountable people are still not officially declared guilty of their crimes. With their advanced age and because they are the only remaining ex-leaders of the Khmer Rouge this chapter will be closed in the coming years. Yet there is a very important moral duty of remembrance that Cambodian society will
