France tries Cambodian ex-PM's guards over 1997 massacre

France tries Cambodian ex-PM's guards over 1997 massacre

Two ex-bodyguards for former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen go on trial in absentia in France on Wednesday, charged over a 1997 grenade attack on a leading opposition figure.

Khmer Rouge - Genocide, Regime & Definition

The Khmer Rouge was a Cambodian communist military group that took power under the leadership of Pol Pot and ignited the Cambodian Genocide in the late 1970s.

A former UN official testified Wednesday in front of the Paris Assize Court, accusing two senior officials of the close custody of former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of organizing the attack on opposition figure Sam Rainsy in Phnom Penh.

On Wednesday, two former bodyguards of former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen were tried in absentia in France for their alleged involvement in a grenade attack against an opposition figure in 1997. Several grenades had exploded on 30 March 1997 during an opposition rally of about 200 people in Phnom Penh, denouncing state corruption. The attack had resulted in at least 16 deaths and 150 injuries. Sam Rainsy, former finance minister and opposit…