To Delegate Authority, One Must Have Authority

Today, Kaing Guek Eav (alias Duch) continued his testimony regarding operations at Prey Sar (S-24), another secret detention facility under his authority. Due to short time limits imposed by the Trial Chamber, the prosecution, all civil party lawyers, and the defense questioned Duch on the topic in less than three hours.

What Was the Point of S-24?

As became clear yesterday, S-24 held itself out as a “re-education camp,” but in fact was a slave labor camp where there was no possibility of successful re-education resulting in release. All detainees, called “elements” at S-24, were eventually sent to Tuol Sleng prison (S-21) for interrogation and torture or sent directly to the killing fields at Choeung Ek to be executed. There is one documented exception to this rule whereby thirty re- educated combatants were sent back to the military as a group.

Duch did contradict himself on this point today, however. On one hand, he agreed that release was impossible, but on the other hand, he said S-24 differed from S-21 in that if people worked hard and respected the party discipline, they had some possibility of survival. People at S-24 were not smashed without reason, he said.

The main reason detainees were sent to S-21 or Choeung Ek was suspicion that they planned to rebel or escape. Perhaps, it was so easy to find a “reason” to send someone to be smashed that everyone eventually qualified. After being forced to do hard labor in the hot Cambodian sun for 13 hours with little or no food day after day, anyone would make negative comments and any negative comment was overheard by S-24 staff spying on detainees without their knowledge…

Read more: ctm_blog_6-25-2009