Ex-Khmer Rouge: Death was certain in his prison

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Incarceration at the Khmer Rouge's most notorious prison was tantamount to a death sentence since not even the movement's supreme leader had the right to release prisoners, the center's chief told a special tribunal Thursday.

Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, commanded the Phnom Penh prison, where as many as 16,000 men, women and children are believed to have been tortured before being sent to their deaths. Only a handful survived.

Duch, 66, is being tried by a U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal for crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died under the 1975-79 radically communist Khmer Rouge regime from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and executions.

"When people were perceived as enemies and arrested and sent to S-21, no one was entitled to release them. Even Pol Pot, the most senior person in the Khmer Rouge, acknowledged that he had no right to release any people," Duch said.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iIuntCU1mCsWYORH7ffwxpYipg1gD97SQ6583

---

ETA: I am posting daily updates on Duch's trial, as this story is personal to me.

[MikeNearMcChord]

1. There is a disturbing documentary on Netflix.

Called "S21" about some of the guards and cadres of the Khmer Rouge. I recommend it.

[Lucky Luciano]

2. I went to the S-21 prison when I was in Phnom Penh.

I am one of the most steadfastly unemotional people, but even I had almost cracked and cried when I was touring Tuol Sleng prison - they have hundreds of photographs (headshots) of the doomed all over the place.

[Taverner]

3. I went there too in the early 90's

When I was in Cambodia. What gave me such a sick feeling is how much of a school it still looked like. Swingsets turned into gallows. Also the pictures of all the children really bothered me.

[riverdeep]

4. Ughh. The stuff that went on is too horrible to consider.

What's even more amazing is how recent this stuff all is. Somehow just saying 'never again' doesn't seem to have much of an effect.

Apparently, they didn't want anyone to know what went on there, so once you were in, there was no coming back, even if you were sent there by mistake. They also could send your whole family with you, so that they wouldn't be able to take revenge. Seeing the victims photos, and images of depictions at what went on by the few who survived, it's just overwhelming. Even though Pol Pot was supposedly a communist, that didn't stop him from living a life of luxury. Amazing how that works.

I don't know how you can say I'm sorry after taking part in torturing or eradicating thousands of people (millions by the entire government), but better than nothing I suppose.