A leader during Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge has called accusation of war crimes “fairy tales”.
Khieu Samphan, the 80-year-old former head of state, denies the charges against him, which include war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Between 1975-1979, the Khmer Rouge, under the leadership of Pol Pot, killed an estimated 1.3million, with some suggesting the figure could be as high as 2.2 million.
Many of the victims were buried in mass graves, which became known as “the killing fields”.
However, in his opening statement, Samphan claimed that the country’s population backed the Maoist regime, before embarking on a prolonged attack against the court and the prosecutors.
He also claimed the Khmer Rouge was a resistance movement, fighting against the country’s government, which was backed by US forces.
Also on trial are 85-year-old Nuon Chea, Pol Pot’s brother, and 86-year-old Leng Sary, the former foreign minister.
On the opening day of the United Nations-backed trial, prosecutors referred to the trio as “common murderers of a whole generation of Cambodians”.
However, Samphan shot back, arguing that he was unaware any massacre, asking the prosecutor if he really thought that “workers were being murdered in front of us with hoes or bullets in the backs of their necks?”
“I have the feeling that you really want my head on the block,” he added.
Earlier in the trial, Nuon Chea claimed that he had been defending the regime from internal enemies, while Leng Sary dismissed the validity of the proceedings.
Speaking on Wednesday, Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said: “I welcome the opening statements this week in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia."
"This case represents an important step towards justice and national reconciliation for the people of Cambodia," he added.
“After many years, victims of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s and their families are finally seeing those accused of perpetrating atrocities stand trial. My thoughts at this time are with all those who suffered during this period.”
The court is due to start hearing evidence in early December.