Cambodia ? Police arrested the ex-foreign minister of the brutal 1970s Khmer Rouge regime and his wife today and brought them before Cambodia’s U.N.-backed genocide tribunal to face charges of crimes against humanity.

Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith, are both accused of involvement in the slayings of political opponents during the 1975-79 radical communist regime, according to documents from prosecutors seen by The Associated Press. Ieng Thirith served as the regime’s minister for social affairs.

“Today Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith have been arrested in execution of an arrest warrant, delivered by the co-investigating judges, for crimes against humanity and war crimes as regards Ieng Sary and for crimes against humanity concerning Ieng Thirith,” a tribunal statement said.

The radical policies of the Khmer Rouge are widely blamed for the deaths of some 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution. None of the group’s leaders has faced trial yet.