Ms. Francoise Sironi-Guilbaud
Francoise Sironi-Guilbaud, 51, Professor of Psychology at University of Paris 8, was called as an expert to present a psychological assessment of the Accused conducted in 2008 with an update in August 2009.
The experts testified that the Accused does not present any indication of mental or psychological disorder. They described him as a ìdutiful person, readily influenced by [and] responding well to strong leadershipî, with a ìneed for affiliation, and for recognition and acknowledgement by his superiors.î Marxist ideology satisfied his need for certainty and was subsequently replaced by Christianity.They described his psychological behavior as characterized by obsessional traits, pragmatic and mathematical reasoning, disempathy, and alexithymia. They noted that the Accused was able to construct powerful defence mechanisms insulating him from emotional reactions and inner conflicts created by his external reality, mechanisms which they described as ultimately enabling him to nurture his own family whilst overseeing the deaths of children at S-21. However, the experts also perceived the Accusedís greater capacity for self-reflection regarding his life and actions as the investigation and trial progressed. The experts used a "geopolitical" method of assessment which analyses the articulation of both personal and collective history that was developed by Francoise Sironi-Guilbaud in her practice.
In order to understand the Accused, she argued, it was necessary to take into account the weight of political, economical, historical, and cultural factors on his personality. Both experts stated that they believed that the Accused could be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society based on his past experiences and his present condition.
- Witness acronym :
KW-35
- Age at the time of testimony :
58
- Appeared as :
- Cases : Case 001,
- Date(s) of testimony :