Duch trial: translation getting into a serious state due to misinterpretations and confusions

[struggle4progress]

By Stéphanie Gée
29-04-2009

Debates on the thirteenth day of the trial of Duch were again studded with concern over translation. Part of the interrogation of the accused regarding the creation of S-21 – the centre became fully operational in October 1975 - was even obscured by co-Prosecutors. As for the Parties, they expressed their impatience about having at last the Trial Chamber come to a decision regarding certain matters mentioned right at the beginning of the trial. A feeling of disorganisation sometimes pervades during hearings and will probably stretch over a good few months.

In June 1975, Duch received some political training in Phnom Penh. When asked by Judge Lavergne whether his hatred for police work, combined with his awakening at M-13 on the fact that confessions only partially reflected the truth and the fact that one of his relatives was himself a relative of Lon Nol were mentioned in the biography he was asked to draft, Duch replies that he did not mention that. And indeed, he explains, the point of the training was to celebrate the “April 17th great victory” (when Phnom Penh was invaded by the Khmer Rouge) and participants were expected to express their “sacrifices for the community”, their “commitment to rebuild a socialist country”, and continue their work. Besides, they only needed to appoint their close relatives. But there was a compromising link in Duch’s genealogy: it concerned the wife of one of his mother’s far relatives, who was one of Lon Nol’s nieces.

On his own initiative, Duch ordered the construction of individual prison cells at the Pohnea Yat high school, without awaiting his superior’s decision. After S-21 changed location several times, detainees were finally transferred to S-21 in April 1976 upon a decision of Duch. But the accused only sees a practical aspect in converting a school institution into a detention and interrogation centre. And as for the lot of cameras, typewriters, photocopiers or overhead photo projectors found at S-21, which was better-equipped than M-13 - the centre Duch used to lead - the accused claims these were bequested by Division 703 ...

The international co-Prosecutor then presents during the hearing, examples of confessions dating back to before the creation of S-21, the margins of which are annotated by Duch. The Office of the co-Prosecutors issued translations of these annotations in French and English. The document comes from the co-Investigating Judges and the translations of it by the Office of the co-Prosecutors are a problem for Mr Roux. Indeed, co-Prosecutors are “Parties in the trial” and therefore they are not objective, he claims. This translation generates such a debate that Judge Lavergne ends up asking Alex Bates to shed some light on the point he is trying to make. The British national explains that their intention is to show that Duch already annotated confessions at that time (September 1975) and ordered, in parallel to that, the torture of those people and the smashing of enemies. “” These annotations allow for a better understanding of his role” ...

http://cambodia.ka-set.info/khmer-rouge/news-tribunal-duch-roux-co-prosecutor-s-21-translation-torture-090428.html