NTDTV
STORY:
The first to take the stand is Duch, the ex-commandant of the notorious S-21 prison, who has been charged with war crimes, torture and homicide.
Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, is the first senior Pol Pot cadre in the three decades since the end of the regime to face trial.
On the eve of the U.N.-backed trial, French attorney Francois Roux said Duch, a born-again Christian, has asked the victims for forgiveness.
Early in the morning, busloads of witnesses and observers arrived at the court to be part of the historic event which seeks to bring justice and closure. The first day of the trial was also televised in Cambodia.
After the end of the morning session, emotional witnesses filled the court compound.
Most victims at the S-21 prison were tortured and forced to confess to a variety of crimes -- mainly being CIA spies -- before being bludgeoned to death in a field on the outskirts of the city. Women and children were also killed, and only a few survived.
[Phok Khon, Witness]:
"I felt traumatized when I first saw Duch. It felt like the first time it (torture) happened."
Pol Pot, the leader, died in 1998, but four of his aging henchmen are being charged.
Human rights activists are saying that just punishing people like Duch is not enough.
[Seng Theary, Center for Social Development]:
"It's an incredible trial, but we don't want him to be the scapegoat for the other leaders, he is one among thousands of potential defendants and we don't want him to be the sole scapegoat. The others must be tried, publicly with the international and the Cambodian people watching and participating.
The four others have denied knowledge of any atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge during its rule.
If convicted, the five could face life in prison.
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