TEP Sok
Pseudonym: D3
Cases: Case 001
Category: Witness
Background
Tep Sok was a student from a poor family, who had lost one parent in early childhood.
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He studied at the Skun College at Cheung Prey district, Kampong Cham province, where he learnt mathematics from Kaing Guek Eav alias “Duch”.
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Duch taught him for two academic years, from 1966-1968.
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In the Lon Nol regime, Tep Sok worked as a soldier.
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After that, the witness became a teacher and then the principal of a junior high school due to the assistance that he received from Duch, whom he thought was in part responsible for his career development.
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During the period of Democratic Kampuchea between April 1975 and January 1979, Tep Sok carried out labour work in a Khmer Rouge co-operative.
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He was a retired teacher and a former director of Samaki Meanchey High School.
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At the time of his testimony in 2009, Tep Sok was a 61-year old rice farmer.
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He lived in the Sangkae Pong village, Srama commune, Cheung Prey district, Kampong Cham province.
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Tep Sok gave evidence on the character of Duch in Case 001, testifying that Duch was supportive, approachable, kind, well-behaved, simple and respectful.
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Tep Sok’s experience of Duch as a teacher
During the two years he was Duch’s student, Tep Sok always received assistance from Duch, like free teaching, donation of writing books, pens and pencils, and encouragement to build good friends, and to love and like his classmates.
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The witness did not live in the same house with Duch as his own house was close to the school, but used to stay with him sometimes.
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He became a good student and excelled thanks to the effort by Duch and his focus on study.
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Tep Sok testified that he was unaware of Duch’s disappearance, arrest and imprisonment (by Sihanouk) in 1968 because neither the school nor the principal publicly circulated such information.
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Testimony about Duch’s character
Tep Sok testified about Duch’s character in Case 001.
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He identified Duch as supportive and approachable
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. Duch was kind towards poor students and gave them educational materials free of charge;
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and created a cooperative where books and other educational materials were sold at a cheap price.
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Students could ask Duch at any time about anything they didn’t understand.
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He further described Duch as firm, meticulous and encouraging, and someone who carefully planned to enable his students to concentrate on their studies, to become good and leading students and help each other.
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Duch behaved cooperatively with school staff and peers with no conflicts and had solidarity with his neighbors.
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Duch never talked about doctrine or had a tendency toward communism,
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and was a simple and respectful person of no bad habits, who believed that everyone was equal and that there should be no discrimination.
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Tep Sok’s testimony about Duch’s character was accepted by the Trial Chamber in Case 001, which found that Duch was an outstanding teacher who was thorough, honest, devoted and always happy to assist poor students, was adored and valued by his students and taught poor students free of charge and gave them learning materials.
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The Trial Chamber also relied on this evidence to find that Duch was a well-respected teacher, who was ready to support his students, and that Duch was unusually and seriously committed to his teaching.
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The Trial Chamber also found, however, that the evidence about Duch’s professional and/or family life did not remove or lessen his criminal responsibility.
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