Justice after Genocide

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Justice after

Genocide: A

Personal JourneySophal Ear, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

U.S. Naval Postgraduate School

25 October 2011"New Frontiers in Human Rights Law"

Bard College

The views expressed in this presentation do not

represent the views of the U.S. Government.



A Journey in Five Acts

1. Start2. Story

3. Genocide

4. Responsibilities

5. Justice



Act 1: Start



THREE weeks ago,

Bard Trustee Peter

Maguire asked me

to join you today…



This was as much planning as th

invasion of Iraq!





(I can say this with some autho

because I teach courses to jun

military officers on how to reb

countries after conflict.)







In February 2009, I’d given a t

that had just gone online.





I had six minutes to tell my st

Today, I have a little more time andwider scope to reflect on justice aftegenocide.



MY WIFE, 8 MONTHS PREGNANT

MOM





Act 2: Story













There are no American combat



There are no American combat

troops in Cambodia. There are no

American combat advisers in

Cambodia. There will be noAmerican combat troops or

advisers in Cambodia. We will aid

Cambodia. Cambodia is the Nixon

doctrine in its purest form.

—President Richard Nixon,

November 1971









Act 3. Genocide



April 17th, 1975

Phnom Penh, Cambodia















Evacuation of 2 million people fPhnom Penh in three days











Once upon a time ... there was a regime so evil that it cr

antisociety where torture was currency and music, book

were abolished. This regime ruled for four years and mu

nearly 2 million of its citizens, a quarter of the populatio

CAMBODIA

M



Up to 16



Up to 16























One day in mid-1975, circa sunse









On the third day of our journeyfake Vietnamese…



1935-1975







A VIETNAMESE CITIZEN,

A GOOD SAMARITAN













MEMY UNCLE AND AUNT



A FRENCH CITIZEN,

A GOOD SAMARITAN







































To those whom much

is given, much is

expected.

—John F. Kennedy





The Responsibility to Protect is a ne



international security and human ri

norm to address the internationalcommunity’s failure to prevent and

genocides, war crimes, ethnic clean

and crimes against humanity.









HOLOCAUST: 11-17 MILLIO









RWANDA: 800,000-1,000,0









BOSNIA: 200,000+









DARFUR: 300,000+







Act 5: Justice



Returning to Cambodia and tKhmer Rouge Tribunal

Tuol Sleng Torture Center



TUOL SLENG’S DIRECTOR, “DUCH”, CONFESSED

AT KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL IN CAMBODIA, 2009.

VERDICT: GUILTY



DEATHS: 12,273+

SENTENCE: 35 YEARS

(REDUCED TO 19 FOR

TIME ALREADY SERVED)

APPEALING.

MADOFF: 15



KILLED: 0; US$65 BILLION

NOT APPE

“Judge Denny Chinthat 20 or 25 years

effectively be a life



effectively be a life

sentence, but he re

that the symbolism

longer term was imp

given the enormity o

crimes.”

—New York Times

28 June 2011



My mom, Cam Youk Lim

June 1936-October 2009













IF WE HAVEN’T FORGIVEN



Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery - Unive

CREATING AN IDENTITY A

PAIN, AND THAT IS WHATTHAT IS WHAT SUFFERS.

















20 Lives Saved







Steven Ear, born March 2009



Caitlyn Lim Ear, bo

Justice after Genocide

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