Comrade Duch sentenced to 35 years in prison

The World

The brutal Khmer Rouge regime was driven from power in Cambodia thirty years ago. On Monday, Cambodia convicted a major Khmer Rouge figure, Comrade Duch, for his connection with the deaths of 1.7 million people from 1975 to 1979.

Duch had said that his family would have been killed if he hadn’t carried out his gruesome work, but the judge ruled otherwise. Hundreds of Cambodians who lived through the horrors of the Pol Pot era were in court to witness the hearing. BBC reporter Guy de Launey reports from Cambodia on the significant conviction.

Help keep The World going strong!

The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.

Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.