Capoprigione dei Khmer Rossi condannato

Un tribunale sostenuto dalle Nazioni Unite ha condannato un ex capo delle prigioni dei Khmer Rossi per crimini contro l'umanità. L'uomo, meglio noto come Compagno Duch, ha ammesso la supervisione delle torture e degli omicidi di migliaia di persone sul finire degli anni '70.

[Foto: Kaing Guek Eav, detto "Duch", al processo]

Il Compagno Duch s'è descritto come un uomo che ha semplicemente eseguito degli ordini, Ha detto che la sua famiglia sarebbe stata uccisa se non avesse portato avanti il suo terribile lavoro al centro detentivo S-21. Ma i giudici sono arrivati ad una diversa conclusione. Hanno detto che era personalmente responsabile per le atrocità commesse all'S-21.

Migliaia di supposti nemici della rivoluzione dei Khmer Rossi furono qui torturati e uccisi. I giudici hanno reiterato i dettagli: unghie dei piedi strappate, tortura dell'acqua, shock elettrici.

Centinaia di cambogiani che sono passati dagli orrori dell'era di Pol Pot erano in tribunale. È la prima volta che un importante personaggio dei Khmer Rossi è stato chiamato in causa. Almeno due milioni di cambogiani sono morti a causa dei lavori forzati, denutrimento ed esecuzioni sommarie.

Testo originale: BBC Words in the News 26 luglio 2010

Khmer Rouge prison chief found guilty

A UN backed tribunal in Cambodia has found a former Khmer Rouge prison chief guilty of crimes against humanity. The man best known as Comrade Duch had admitted he oversaw the torture and murder of thousands of people in the late 1970s.

[Photo: Kaing Guek Eav, also known as "Duch" sits in the courtroom]

Comrade Duch had painted himself as a man who was only following orders. He said his family would have been killed if he hadn't carried out his gruesome work at the S-21 detention centre. But the judges ruled otherwise. They said he was personally responsible for the atrocities at S-21.

• painted himself: presented a certain public image of himself
• gruesome: very unpleasant or shocking
• ruled otherwise: came to a different conclusion
• atrocities: extremely violent actions

Thousands of supposed enemies of the Khmer Rouge revolution were tortured and murdered there. The judges reiterated the details: pulling out toenails, water torture, electric shocks.

• supposed: this word is used to show that the speaker does not believe the following word to be true. Here, that the people were enemies of the Khmer Rouge revolution
• reiterated: said something several times

Hundreds of Cambodians who lived through the horrors of the Pol Pot era were in court. It's the first time a significant Khmer Rouge figure has been held to account. As many as two million Cambodians died because of forced labour, starvation and summary executions.

• era: a period of time when certain events took place
• significant: important
• held to account: forced to take responsibility for
• forced labour: a lot of tiring physical work which people were made to do against their will