Aggrieved Cambodians livid over Khmer Rouge ‘torture king’s’ light sentence

NEW YORK - Agitated people in Cambodia have expressed their anger over the verdict against a commandant of the central Khmer Rouge prison, Kaing Guek Eav, whose 35 years sentence has been reduced to 19 years because of time already served and in compensation for a period of illegal military detention. He is convicted of mass genocide in 1970s.

A United Nations-backed court found the 67-year-old Eav, commonly known as Duch, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the mass execution of the “enemies” of Khmer Rouge at S-21, a security centre which was used as a prison and a killing field between 1975 and 1979.

According to The New York Times, many of the survivor victims expressed their dissatisfaction over the judgement.

“I am not satisfied! We are victims two times, once in the Khmer Rouge time and now once again,” cried 70-year-old Chum Mey, who had testified in excruciating detail about his 12 days of torture.

“His prison is comfortable, with air-conditioning, food three times a day, fans and everything, I sat on the floor with filth and excrement all around,” he added.

It was the first time in Cambodia’s modern history that a senior government official had been made accountable for serious human rights violations and the first time such a trial had been held that met international standards of justice.

Huy Vannak, a television news director, who lost his relative said, “So why should he be able to get out in 19 years and spend time with his grandchildren?”

“No sentence could measure up to the atrocities Duch committed. But even if we chop him up into two million pieces it will not bring our family members back, we have to move on now,” he added. (ANI)