BriefingAsia-Pacific

Khmer Rouge Chief Guilty, but Sentence Spurs Debate

Khmer Rouge Chief Guilty, but Sentence Spurs Debate

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Kang Guek Eav, a.k.a. Duch, the notorious commandant of Pol Pot's S21 death camp where about 16,000 people were sent to their deaths, was found guilty on Monday of murder, torture and crimes against humanity by a United Nations-backed court.

The decision was hailed by local and international authorities seeking justice for up to 2 million people who perished here between 1975 and 1979, amid one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century's bloody history.

However, many of the victims were upset by the sentence, which could see the 67-year-old former mathematics teacher walk out of prison a free man. His 35-year sentence was cut to 19 years due to time he has already served in detention.

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