One of the largest and most important stages of genocide is dehumanization, and many of the events and aspects of the Cambodian genocide align with the aspects of this stage. During dehumanization, one group begins to deny the humanity of another group. In turn, this allows the group to disparage the victims and progress towards the eventual extermination. Hate propaganda also begins to emerge. The Khmer Rouge believed that only “pure” people were qualified to build the revolution, and targeted minorities and intellectuals and defined them as “impure.” Minorities were heavily persecuted and were not allowed to practice their religion and express their culture. In fact, in many cases they were forced to perform acts against their religion and values.
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A publication for the Yale Cambodian Genocide Program explains the difficulty these target groups faced to evade persecution, stating, “to avoid being targeted, people did not wear glasses; no one dared speak French; and reading a novel was considered a capital offense” (Chigas and Mosyakov). The Khmer Rouge believed that Cambodia must be cleansed of these intellectuals and minorities, and they set the stage for doing so by vilifying them. Another key aspect of the Cambodian genocide was how they utilized propaganda to control and terrorize the population. The CPK used specific slogans, instructions, orders, warnings and threats that were spoken in the name of Angkar: an ominous and faceless organization tied to the Khmer Rouge regime. Ordinary Cambodians did not know who was ruling their country and were only told that Angkar was in charge (Barber). By persecuting ethnic and religious minorities as well as intellectuals, and by using anti-US hate propaganda, these events place the Cambodian genocide under the dehumanization phase of Stanton’s eight stages of
A publication for the Yale Cambodian Genocide Program explains the difficulty these target groups faced to evade persecution, stating, “to avoid being targeted, people did not wear glasses; no one dared speak French; and reading a novel was considered a capital offense” (Chigas and Mosyakov). The Khmer Rouge believed that Cambodia must be cleansed of these intellectuals and minorities, and they set the stage for doing so by vilifying them. Another key aspect of the Cambodian genocide was how they utilized propaganda to control and terrorize the population. The CPK used specific slogans, instructions, orders, warnings and threats that were spoken in the name of Angkar: an ominous and faceless organization tied to the Khmer Rouge regime. Ordinary Cambodians did not know who was ruling their country and were only told that Angkar was in charge (Barber). By persecuting ethnic and religious minorities as well as intellectuals, and by using anti-US hate propaganda, these events place the Cambodian genocide under the dehumanization phase of Stanton’s eight stages of