Reconsidering the Classification of Perpetrators in instances of Genocide and Mass Atrocity

A focus on the Khmer Rouge Era

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35994/rhr.v6i1.116

Abstract

The terms “primary”, “mid-level” and “lower level” are employed to qualify perpetrators of mass atrocities, based on the magnitude of guilt and criminal responsibility. Could this classification be a misnomer? Could the relationship among perpetrators, or the roles they assume be more intricate, warranting a reassessment of the existing hierarchy? This paper explores the need to be more circumspect in penning perpetrators in categories, especially in complex scenarios of mass atrocity. To do so, the Non-Solitarist View of Human Identity and Framing Theory are used to explore the matter, with a focus on perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge era.

Author Biography

Sabah Carrim, University of Malaysia

Sabah Carrim holds a PhD in Genocide Studies and Prevention from University of Malaya. The focus of her study was on the perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge era. She has published a few articles and book reviews on the subject, and is deputy editor of Review of Human Rights. She is also the Emerging Scholar representative on the Advisory Board of International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS).   Sabah has authored two novels, a few short stories shortlisted in International competitions, and a collection of poetry.    Sabah is currently enrolled in an MFA program in Creative Writing at Texas State University where she was awarded the W. Morgan and Lou Claire Rose Scholarship and the Arch and Stella Rowan Foundation Scholarship.

Additional Files

Published

2020-07-03

How to Cite

Carrim, S. (2020). Reconsidering the Classification of Perpetrators in instances of Genocide and Mass Atrocity: A focus on the Khmer Rouge Era. Review of Human Rights, 6(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.35994/rhr.v6i1.116