Kang Kek Iew

Kang Kek Iew
កាំង ហ្គេកអ៊ាវ
Kang Kek Iew during his trial (2009)
Born(1942-11-17)17 November 1942
Choyaot, Kampong Thom Province, French Indochina
Died2 September 2020(2020-09-02) (aged 77)
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
NationalityCambodian
Other namesComrade Duch
Hang Pin
Known forDirector of the S-21 prison camp, Leader of Santebal
SpouseChhim Sophal (?–1995)
Conviction(s)Crimes against humanity
Criminal penalty30 years; increased to life (2 February 2012)
Date apprehended
May 1999
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Kang Kek Iew, also spelled Kaing Guek Eav (Khmer: កាំង ហ្គេកអ៊ាវ [kaŋ geːk.ʔiəw]; 17 November 1942 – 2 September 2020),[1] alias Comrade Duch (Khmer: សមមិត្តឌុច [samamɨt ɗuc]) or Hang Pin, was a Cambodian convicted war criminal and member of the Khmer Rouge movement, which ruled Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979. As the Chairman of Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison camp, and head of the Santebal, Kang Kek Iew was responsible for the interrogation and torture of thousands of individuals, and was convicted for the execution of at least 12,272 individuals, including women and children,[2] but up to 14,000 in total could have died under his oversight.[3]

He was the first Khmer Rouge leader to be tried by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge regime,[4] and was convicted of crimes against humanity, murder, and torture for his role during the Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia and sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment. On Candlemas Day, 2 February 2012, his sentence was extended to life imprisonment by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.

Kang Kek Iew, unlike many other Khmer Rouge cadres, did not dismiss or justify his crimes. He admitted that he had been wrong and that he had done horrible things; he said that he repented and that he had converted to Christianity. During his trial, he provided detailed accounts of what happened inside S-21 and inside the Khmer Rouge regime, although his testimony at times contained discrepancies and at the conclusion of his trial he asked to be freed.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Totten, Samuel; Bartrop, Paul Robert; Jacobs, Steven L. (2008). Dictionary of Genocide: A-L. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-313-34642-2. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  2. ^ Case 001 Trial Judgment, 340; Case 001 Appeal Judgment, para. 380.
  3. ^ Taulbee, James Larry (2017). Genocide, Mass Atrocity, and War Crimes in Modern History: Blood and Conscience. ABC-CLIO. p. 261. ISBN 9781440829857.
  4. ^ "Landmark Khmer Rouge trial starts". BBC News. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ap-peck-2009-03-31 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Propaganda, Torture and French Colonial Heritage: Looking into the Methods of the Khmer Rouge - Cambodia Tribunal Monitor". www.cambodiatribunal.org. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Khmer Rouge war-crimes trial of prison chief Duch closes in surprise twist". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 24 January 2023.