Defense: Former Cambodian official not guilty of genocide

By SOPHENG CHEANG and DAVID RISING
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The defense team for the former head of state of Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime says his genocide conviction should be overturned. The arguments came during Khieu Samphan’s appeal hearing at the international tribunal’s Supreme Court chamber. French attorney Anta Guissé told judges the evidence of killings of Vietnamese minorities in Cambodian border provinces was weak, and she questioned whether the slayings rose to the level of genocide. The 90-year-old defendant is the last living member of the top leadership of the Khmer Rouge. He is scheduled to speak to the court Thursday. A verdict is not expected until next year.