Later Years
Thirith lived with her husband, Ieng Sary, in a luxurious villa on Street 21, in southern Phnom Penh. Until her arrest, she was rarely seen in public.
By 2006, Ieng Thirith and her husband had retained foreign legal counsel to assist with their defense as the Cambodia Tribunal made progress with courtroom preparation and judge selection. She was arrested, along with ailing Ieng Sary, on November 12, 2007, at their home in Phnom Penh, after being indicted by the Cambodia Tribunal. She was arrested for crimes against humanity: "planning, direction, coordination and ordering of widespread purges ... and the unlawful killing or murder of staff members from within the Ministry of Social Affairs." On November 17, 2011, Thirith was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial, due to her severe case of Alzheimer's Disease, and was ordered to be released. Prosecutors have appealed against her release. On December 13, 2011, appeals judges reversed the ruling to release Thirith and ordered new medical exams to see how mentally unfit she was to stand trial. In September 2012, the November 2011 ruling was put back into place.
Read more about this topic: Ieng Thirith
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